The highly anticipated Indian release of ‘Santosh’, a Cannes-celebrated film and the UK’s official Oscar entry, has hit a roadblock. The CBFC demanded extensive cuts, forcing director Sandhya Suri into a difficult decision. “It was impossible to make those cuts while keeping the film coherent and true to its vision,” she said.
Set in a fictional northern Indian town, ‘Santosh’ follows a young widow (Shahana Goswami) who steps into her late husband's police role, only to face a harrowing investigation under an authoritarian inspector. Suri added, “I wanted the film to be released in India, but it doesn’t glorify violence-it’s not sensationalist.”
"I wanted the film to be released in India and tried to make it work, but the cuts would have made it incoherent," Suri said. "Unlike many police dramas, my film doesn’t glorify violence or have a single hero-it portrays a morally complex world, which might be unsettling for some."
Shahana Goswami, the lead in ‘Santosh’, expressed her disappointment, saying, “It’s disheartening that a film reflecting our reality can't be seen by a wide audience. It could have done well in theatres, but that’s no longer possible.”
Several acclaimed films, including Oscar-winning ‘Anora’ and ‘The Substance’, as well as Oscar-nominated ‘The Apprentice’, faced similar issues with the CBFC and were not released in India. ‘Anora’, which won five Oscars, was acquired for Indian distribution but couldn’t secure certification. A source involved in the release process noted, “Foreign filmmakers want their films released in India, but CBFC roadblocks often lead to rejected cuts, compromising the narrative.”
