Bollywood filmmaker and actor Anurag Kashyap has alleged that the CBFC in India is a rigged system. In a social media post, he wondered how some groups and folks get to know about some movies' content before they hit the screens.
In the latest instance, a Hindi film titled Phule has been at the centre of a controversy for allegedly showing Brahminism in poor light. Phule is about caste-based discrimination in Indian society. The CBFC recently asked the makers of Phule to mute certain caste names and remove certain scenes.
It appears that some caste groups had an inkling of the movie's content. The CBFC might have asked the makers of Phule to make changes at their behest. That's what Anurag Kashyap seems to be implying.
It is an open secret that the CBFC has been influenced by political pressure from time to time. The level of self-censorship among filmmakers is incredible in Tamil and Telugu film industries. If anything, Hindi films enjoy lesser constraints. Also, L2: Empuraan, the recent Malayalam film, didn't face any gag order before its theatrical release. This might mean that the CBFC system is not as rigged as it comes across as.
