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India quietly censored a White Lotus Season 3 scene; even HBO didn’t see this coming

White Lotus Season 3 faced unexpected censorship in India, with a scene removed for religious profanity rather than its controversial themes.

White Lotus 3

White Lotus Season 3, an American satirical comedy-drama anthology packed with nudity, drug references, abuse, and even incest, was always expected to face some censorship in certain countries due to their political climate or laws. But social media was left shocked, and foreign media in disbelief, when a much less obvious scene was edited out—not for its controversial themes, but for profanity tied to religious belief. The scene in question had nothing to do with incest, a storyline that is already being criticised in some countries. Instead, it was the opening scene that got cut, reportedly because it contained expletives directed at a religious figure, something that could have caused controversy in India had it aired.

The White Lotus scene that was censored in India

The White Lotus Season 3 scene in question involves Belinda’s son, Zion (played by Nicholas Duvernay). In the opening sequence, after hearing gunshots from the White Lotus hotel, Zion is seen swimming away in a pond while praying for his mother’s safety. Looking up at a Buddha statue, he pleads, “Please let my mom be OK,” before reciting a Christian prayer. According to Variety, the scene was meant to show the disconnect between the American characters and Buddhism. They arrived in Thailand expecting a peaceful retreat, but this moment makes it clear—relaxation is the last thing they’ll be getting. As more gunshots ring out from the hotel, Zion, now panicked and furious, shouts, “What the f**k! I said, don’t let anything happen to my mother, ******!”

Also read: The White Lotus season 3 has a real-life link to a ‘CIA spy’ who mysteriously disappeared in the 1960s, says costume designer

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In India, White Lotus Season 3 is currently streaming on Jio Hotstar. The country’s largest streaming platform, after the merger, offers HBO and Disney Plus Hotstar content in India. Indian viewers watching the show noticed that the expletives in Zion’s prayer were removed, while the rest of the scene remained. Reportedly, this was not a decision made by HBO or the Indian government. Instead, it was a case of self-censorship by JioHotstar, a common practice in India to avoid potential backlash or government scrutiny.

While films in India are subject to approval from the Central Board of Film Certification, streaming platforms like JioHotstar are expected to follow government guidelines and are also encouraged to regulate content themselves. In 2021, the Indian government issued the “Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code,” which outlines rules for streaming services, “The categorical classification of content shall take into account the impact of a film on matters such as caste, race, gender, religion, disability or sexuality that may arise in a wide range of works, and the classification decision will take account of the strength or impact of their inclusion,” according to MeitY guidelines.

Also read: Patrick Schwarzenegger opens up The White Lotus Season 3’s ‘unsettling’ incest plotline: ‘More than what just meets the eye…’

In an earlier incident, Amazon Prime Video, for example, had to apologise for its original series “Tandav” after a scene involving the Hindu god Shiva caused outrage. The scene was edited out, and the show’s creator, Ali Abbas Zafar, issued an apology. Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur also pointed out how his 1994 film Bandit Queen underwent heavy censorship and became almost unrecognisable. “Someone has cut it beyond recognition,” he wrote. “And yet, it carries my name as director. And no one asked me! Are we lesser beings than Western directors? Would they have the guts to cut a Chris Nolan film without his permission?”

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