8. The Pink Mirror (2004)
The Pink Mirror is a drama film focusing on Indian transsexuals. The censor board banned the film citing the reason that film was vulgar and offensive. The producer made two unsuccessful appeals after the first rejection. The film still remains banned in India where transsexuality is a still a taboo. However, the film was screened at various film festivals all over the world and has won many awards.
9. Black Friday (2004)
Black Friday is a crime drama film based on the real events of 1993 Bombay bomb blasts. The film was based on a controversial topic so Censor Board did not allow it to be released in India until the verdict in the 1993 Bombay blast case was delivered by the court. The film was banned for three years and was finally released on 9 February 2007 after Supreme Court of India allowed screening of the film.
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10. Amu (2005)
Amu is a drama film directed by Shonali Bose based on the novel Amu (written by Shonali Bose herself). The film was based in 1984 anti-Sikh riots and starred Konkona Sen Sharma and Brinda Karat. Did you ever know Brinda Karat, the CPI-M politician from West Bengal has also worked in a film and the director Shonali was her niece? The film faced many problems from the censor board. The Censor board finally issued “A” certificate after suggested cuts. The film was later released on DVD.
11. Water (2005)
Water is an Indian-Candian drama film starring Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, John Abraham in pivotal roles. The film is set in the pre-independence era and depicts the life of a widow at an Ashram in Varanasi. The shooting of the film faced many protests from certain groups after the script was leaked. Hence, the production was stopped in India and the film was shot in Sri Lanka with changed star cast ( Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, and Akshay Kumar were initially signed for the film). The film was shot under fake title “River Moon” to avoid any attention.
12. Sins (2005)
Sins is a romance drama film starring Shiney Ahuja and Seema Rahmani. The film received an “A” certificate from the censor board due to few controversial topless scenes. It tells the story of a Catholic priest and his affair with a young woman. The film suffered the wrath of Catholic organizations as they alleged that film showed the Catholicism in the wrong manner. Also, one group filed PIL to stop the release of the film boy court cleared the film.
13. Dazed in Doon (2010)
Ashvin Kumar, who studied at the prestigious ‘Doon School’, was invited by the school to create a film. However, once the movie was completed, the school was not happy with it. They thought it hampered the image and reputation of the school and hence, stalled the release of the film. It is extremely sad that this 55-minute coming of age story was not released in theatres.
14. Garam Hawa (1974)
Garam Hawa traces the story of the struggles and hardships of a Muslim family in the post-partition era. With such a sensitive topic at hand, the film was sure to get marred by controversies. The film was initially banned for the fear that it might incite communal tensions. Eventually, the film managed to hit the screens after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi herself saw the film.
