The film which explores sexuality and religion was banned because it was offensive to Hinduism
A film about a gay love story that was previously censored might get the green light to screen in India.
India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) banned Ka Bodyscapes earlier this year.
It said the film ‘portrayed Hindu gods in an obscene light and had contents of nudity’.
Hindu is the main religion in India and Ka Bodyscapes explores both homosexuality and religion.
The movie tells the story of three men. Haris, a gay painter, Vishnu, a rural kabaddi player, and their friend Sia.
Sia is an activist who refuses to conform to dominant norms of femininity, struggle to find space and happiness in a conservative Indian City.
But in a recent decision the Kerala High Court ordered the CBFC to review the film. The court ruled censors must base their decision on whether or not to ban the film by watching it completely.
Mad director
The film’s creator Jayan Cherian has bene vocal about censorship of Indina films.
‘A single bench of the High Court held that the movie has to be watched as a whole instead of refusing to give a certificate based on certain clips and parts,’ he told the Mumbai Mirror.
‘The judge also permitted the Board to modify or delete certain scenes if they find it objectionable but ruled against banning it altogether.’
‘The CBFC takes the mere reference to any ‘Hindu organisation’ in the film as an offence. This is the death-knell of independent cinema and artistic expression in India,’ Cherian told The Wire when it was first banned.
The CBFC respsonded to the Kerala High Court’s ruling and asked for two months’ extension to comply.
It said it needed more time due to a ‘lack of funding to arrange the screening and the cost of bringing all the board members together’.
