By Ancy Donal
- Fire
The film was recognised globally for its content and appeal but was a controversy in India. It failed to impress Hindu groups due to its subject, which dealt with the lesbian relationship between two sisters-in-law in a Hindu family. The controversy ended with the leading actors, Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das and the director receiving death threats and Censor Board finally banning the movie in the country.
- The Pink Mirror
Gender issues were still a touchy topic to explore and one such movie which brought the concept of trans-sexuality to the forefront was The Pink Mirror. The story dealt with the quest of two transsexuals and a gay teenager to seduce a straight man. The Censor board got offended by the vulgarity in the movie and banned it even after the film gained positive reviews at film festivals around the world.
- Water
Water is another movie which courted a lot of controversy because of its dark insights on the life of an Indian widow. Set in Ashram of Varanasi, the story took up controversial issues like ostracism and misogyny which were alien to the Indian Censor Board back then. No wonder the movie was widely attacked by protesters who even destroyed the sets of the film.
- Kuttrapathirikai
Kuttrapathirikai is all about the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and the Sri Lankan civil war. The film was launched in 1991 but hit the screens only in 2006 after going through various cuts and censors. The board claimed that the film supported the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and wanted to cut the scenes of the Tigers’ training and police officers fleeing the venue, where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated.
- Dam 999
Dam 999 is the result of the inspiration of many real-life incidents. The movie is a tribute to the 250,000 people who lost their lives in the 1975 Banqiao Dam disaster in China. It was banned in Tamil Nadu for allegedly spreading fear among people regarding the Mullaperiyar Dam.
