The Central Board of Film Certification has reportedly blocked the release of the critically acclaimed film Santosh – which the UK selected as its official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards – in India due to concerns about its depiction of misogyny, Islamophobia, and violence within the Indian police force.
According to The Guardian, the CBFC – which is the government body responsible for approving film releases in India – refused certification over concerns regarding its portrayal of the police. The film’s director Sandhya Suri had described the decision as “disappointing and heartbreaking”.
The film, written and directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, is set in north India and has received international recognition for its portrayal of a young widow who joins the police force and investigates the murder of a Dalit girl. It reportedly offers an unflinching fictional account of systemic issues within the Indian police force, exposing entrenched misogyny, discrimination against Dalits and the normalisation of mistreatment and torture by officers. The film also delves into sexual violence, especially against lowered-caste women, and also into the rising anti-Muslim sentiments in India.
The Guardian, in its report, said that the CBFC demanded extensive cuts that Sandhya described as “impossible” to implement. Furthermore, the cuts were targeted at the themes central to the film’s narrative, including police conduct and systemic societal issues.
Santosh premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to widespread acclaim and was the UK’s official entry for the Oscars’ international feature category. It was later nominated for a British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) for Best Debut Feature and received high praise from critics. Further, the film’s lead actor Shahana Goswami recently won Best Actress at the Asian Film Awards. Santosh was entirely filmed in India with an all-Indian cast and is presented in Hindi.
It is the first time that the UK selected a Hindi-language film as an official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film category.
We have a new Sena project on the impunity of the police in India, and why everyday Indians are losing faith. Click here to contribute.
Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.
