CBFC cuts kissing scene from Superman in India, sparks fan outrage

India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is facing public outrage yet again, this time for allegedly censoring some kissing scenes from James Gunn’s much-awaited movie Superman, which was released on July 11 in India. Fans and even celebrities such as actor Shreya Dhanwanthary have taken to social media to express their discontent, questioning the board's uneven censorship policies.

Kissing cut from Superman in India, angers fans

Reports are that the Indian theatrical cut of Superman does not include two of the most important visuals of kisses between David Corenswet's Superman and Lois Lane’s Rachel Brosnahan. One is early in the movie during their first couple of minutes of screen time together, and a more emphasided shot, previewed in trailers, where the pair kiss while suspended in mid-air has been almost completely cut out. A 33-second ‘sensual visual’ of a kiss between the lead actors was significantly abridged.

The news has set off a firestorm on social media. Shreya Dhanwanthary wrote on X, saying "If this is true, this is RIDICULOUS!!! Some ridiculous crap happens every day. Every. Damn. Day." She went on to question the thinking, asking "Why make the theatre going experience so horrible then? LET US DECIDE WHAT WE WANT TO WATCH!!!!"

Supporters reiterated this, with numerous people bringing out what they see as a double standard by the CBFC. Comments poured in, from “Even Superman can’t beat this Sanskari CBFC,” to “It was just a kiss. It’s not as if they were tearing each other’s clothes apart. CBFC is a complete joke.” One of the repeated issues of grievance was the board’s supposed softness towards “lewd double meaning jokes in Housefull 5” and not so much towards consensual kisses in a superhero movie.

This scandal comes close on the heels of another CBFC ruling that was widely criticised: the modification of a middle finger emoji into a fist emoji in promotional content for the Brad Pitt-starring F1. The ongoing debates over censorship have again sparked debates over artistic freedom and cultural hypocrisy in Indian cinema.

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