Censoring change: How Bollywood’s elite resist caste-conscious cinema, Pg9

Key Highlights: – Film Phule faces backlash for portraying Dalit-Bahujan narratives and challenging caste dominance. – CBFC censorship of caste-sensitive content indicates suppression of marginalised voices. – Bollywood often glorifies dominant castes and avoids confronting historical caste realities. – Resistance to caste-conscious cinema reflects deeper societal discomfort with anti-caste narratives. – Institutions and social elites are accused of silencing dissent and sanitising history.

Background/Context

• Mainstream Hindi cinema has long been accused of promoting patriarchal and casteist stereotypes, rarely representing Dalit-Bahujan lives or struggles.
• Films such as Article 15 and Jhund attempt to challenge this norm, but remain exceptions in an industry that tends to sideline marginalised voices.

Key Developments

• Phule, a biopic on Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule, is the latest film facing protests and calls for boycott by groups aligned with upper-caste sentiments.
• The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been criticised for censoring caste-related content under political and social pressure.
• The opposition to Phule is part of a larger pattern where cinema addressing social justice themes is attacked while films reinforcing nationalistic or elite narratives are promoted.

Strategic/Policy/Legal/Economic Implications

• Freedom of artistic expression is at risk when films are censored or delayed due to political or caste-based pressures.
• CBFC's discretionary censorship powers can be used to suppress dissenting narratives, undermining democratic values and cultural representation.
• Cinema as a tool for social transformation is weakened when critical caste discourses are systematically excluded.
• Upper caste opposition to films like Phule, Jai Bhim, and Sairat shows reluctance to confront historic injustices or allow space for alternative cultural memory.

India's Stand or Way Forward

• There is an urgent need to democratise cinema by making it more inclusive of subaltern voices and Dalit-Bahujan experiences.
• Institutions like CBFC must be reformed to uphold constitutional values, not cater to regressive social pressure.
• The government should protect artistic freedoms, ensure fair certification processes, and support films that foster inclusive narratives.

Challenges Ahead

• Deep-rooted caste bias in media institutions, leading to suppression of dissent.
• Lack of representation of marginalised communities in the filmmaking and certification ecosystem.
• Increasing pressure from fringe groups to sanitise cinema and align with dominant ideologies.
• Self-censorship by creators fearing backlash, impacting creative autonomy and diversity.

Mains Mock Question:

How does mainstream Indian cinema influence and reflect caste dynamics in society? Discuss the challenges and opportunities in promoting socially conscious and inclusive filmmaking in India.