Would "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata" have passed the current standards of the Indi

Like most forms of speech regulation, film censorship has its antecedents in the colonial era. The British established the Central Board of Film Certification in 1918 to limit the freedom of speech in undivided India under the British rule. In Independent India, the regime of film censorship was established by the Cinematograph Act of 1952. But even in 2018, the Indian Filmmakers are at the mercy of a few members (mainly politicians) of The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and their individual perception of what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

As a filmmaker, I was shocked to receive the list of 15 Cuts (around 20 minutes) from the Indian Censor Board for my feature film “The Kamasutra Garden” (in India it is titled “Kamasutra Palace”). Please read my “Open Grievance Letter” (click PDF logo below) to the Indian Censor board to understand why it is time for a great country like India to rewrite its outdated 1950’s Cinematography Act.

An "Open Grievance Letter" to the Indian Censor Board

Please click on the PDF Logo here or on the left

Alternate Link: https://goo.gl/dQjypL

The letter explains why we believe that the requested cuts are excessive and unfair. The 15 cuts requested will remove the core theme of the film and the storyline will not connect for viewers to understand.

The world has changed and the technology has changed. In 2018, the viewers are not restricted to movie theaters. Now it is the era of 24 hour live TV, YouTube, cable channels, social media and video-selfies. In India the prime-time television shows that are watched by families and children are not censored and have passionate love scenes, sexual dialogues, condom and lingerie advertisements, without any issue. However, the censor board has requested that "Kamasutra Palace" (certified for Adult viewing) to remove bikini shots, kissing scenes and even slightly sexual dialogues. This request is unbelievable in the land of Vatsyayana’s “Kamasutra”, where "Kamashastra" was taught as a subject in pre-historic India and was carved into the temples of Khajuraho, Sun temple, Ajanta and Ellora caves. Not only is excessive censorship unfair, it will unfortunately destroy great works of art before they reach the viewers.

Official website of "The Kamasutra Garden" - www.thekamasutragarden.com