Santosh, a thought-provoking crime drama, has met with a major setback. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has blocked the film's release in India. They have raised concerns over the movie's depiction of police brutality, Islamophobia, and misogyny.
Now, Santosh's director, Sandhya Suri, has reacted to CBFC's directive. She called their decision “disappointing and heartbreaking”, during a conversation with The Guardian.
Sandhya Suri said, “It was surprising for all of us because I didn't feel that these issues were particularly new to Indian cinema or hadn't been raised before by other films.”
She revealed that CBFC demanded a list of cuts, which were long and wide-ranging. As per the director, removing them from the film was practically “impossible."
Additionally, some of the edits also covered important topics like police conduct and societal woes.
“It was very important to me that the film be released in India, so I did try to figure out if there was a way to make it work. But in the end, it was just too difficult to make those cuts and have a film that still made sense, let alone stayed true to its vision,” Sandhya Suri shared.
She added, “I don't feel my film glorifies violence in a way that many other films focusing on the police have done. There's nothing sensationalist about it.”
Sandhya Suri admitted to being “nervous” before Santosh's India premiere, hinting at the film's politically sensitive theme. The director, however, emphasised that it was “vitally important” for the audience to witness the issues themselves.
Santosh, led by Shahana Goswami, centres around a widowed housewife. After her husband's death, she inherits the job of a police constable. Soon, she finds herself embroiled in a murder case of a young Dalit girl.
Last year, Santosh had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. The film was also UK's official entry to the Oscars.
Santosh can be streamed on the OTT platform MUBI in India.