Wrath of the CBFC: Phule, Punjab 95 to Dhadak 2, films that faced censorship in 2025

The Central Board of Film Certification has been in the news quite often this year. The board came down heavily on some of the films this year that were released in India. As the year comes to an end, we take a look at films that faced the wrath of the CBFC

Updated On: 2025-12-02 06:36 PM IST

Compiled by : Athulya Nambiar

Films that faced the wrath of CBFC

Mamta Child Factory

The CBFC issued a show-cause notice to director Mohsin Khan, questioning the film’s originality. The notice states that Mamta Child Factory is a dubbed version and hence, cannot be certified as an “original” work. The director had claimed that his film was rejected for censorship owing to the topic of surrogacy. However, the board  cited that “the director himself had said this is a dubbed film. Read more here

JSK: Janaki V vs State of Kerala

The CBFC initially objected to the title and use of the name “Janaki” (considered related to a Hindu goddess). The board refused certification, demanding the name change. Later, after a legal appeal and changes (renaming the film to “Janaki V vs State of Kerala”), CBFC granted a U/A certificate.

Haal

The CBFC demanded the removal of a song sequence where the character Maria is seen using Muslim attire to conceal her identity, the deletion of scenes stereotyping communities. It also sought removal of dialogues and scenes affecting Christian sentiments.

The CBFC also calls for the chopping of court-related documents and data, as well as dialogues and visuals deemed derogatory to cultural organisations, including references to 'dhwaj pranam', 'Ganapathi vattam', and 'sangham kavalund'. '

The committee has also reportedly asked for the deletion of beef biriyani eating scenes as well as the blurring of Rakhi visuals wherever they appear

Homebound

Homebound was referred to the Revising Committee (RC), seemingly after the Examining Committee (EC) had asked for several cuts. Following this, the RC asked for several modifications in the movie. According to reports, the Revising Committee muted and replaced certain words at as many as six places in the movie. It also asked the makers to get rid of the dialogue ‘Aloo gobhi…khaate hai’. Additionally, a two-second visual of a man performing puja was censored. The word ‘gyaan’ was also replaced in the final cut of the film

Santosh 

The Shahana Goswami-starrer received critical acclaim abroad. However, the India release of the film was blocked. The CBFC raised objections citing its depiction of police brutality, caste discrimination and misogyny — saying it could trigger “negative portrayal” of institutions. The filmmakers found the demanded edits too extensive. The film skipped theatrical release and dropped on Lionsgate Play on October 17

Superman 

The Hollywood film was much talked about thanks to the censor boards decision to trim a kissing sequence in the film. The move was heavily criticised by section of netizens

Ajey 

After the CBFC refused to grant certification to the film, citing various reasons, the Bombay HC intervened. The bench directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to certify the film "Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi" for its theatrical release without any cuts or modifications. The film is inspired by the life of Yogi Adityanath

Taj Story

The film has undergone detailed scrutiny by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) due to its sensitive subject matter.

“The Censor Board took several months to clear the film, given its sensitive content revolving around one of the seven wonders of the world and the untold stories of the Taj Mahal that the film fearlessly dares to explore. During the clearance process, the director and producer were asked to submit extensive proofs and documents to validate the claims and the creative integrity of the project, making its journey to the big screen as dramatic and intense as its premise," said a source to mid-day

Dhadak 2 

CBFC passed the film after undergoing 16 cuts. The key areas the CBFC flagged was politically sensitive dialogue. A line with an apparent political undertone was modified to avoid any direct or indirect references to public figures. Additionally, religious references underwent careful rewording.For example, a line originally saying “Dharam ka kaam hai” (this is religious work) was changed to “Punya ka kaam hai” (this is a good deed) to maintain a more neutral tone. A famous couplet by poet Tulsidas, used in a song, was also swapped out for another verse that focuses on quiet resistance rather than provocative imagery.

Chhavaa

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) passed the film Chhaava with a UA 16+ certificate after instructing several modifications. These included muting abusive words, replacing "Aameen" with "Jai Bhavani," and removing a scene with Maratha warriors in sarees. Additionally, dialogue was altered to be less confrontational

Punjab 95

The film — based on human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra — has been stuck indefinitely in censorship limbo. The CBFC reportedly demanded 127 cuts, including altering names and content. The makers refused, leading to an indefinite postponement of its Indian release. The film's release looked promising earlier this year but it was cancelled last minute

Phule

The film — about 19th-century social reformers — ran into objections from a section of the Brahmin community. While the director says CBFC asked for minor changes (not outright cuts), the board reportedly demanded removal of certain voice-overs, caste-specific terms (like “Mahar”, “Mang”, “Peshwai”), and modifications to dialogues/scenes. Its release was postponed due to re-censor demand

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