Indian film board blasted for censoring ‘Superman' for ‘overly sensual' kisses
Two kissing scenes from James Gunn's newest blockbuster were cut by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the official statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. The reason: the lip-locking scenes, including a 33-second smooch between Superman and Lois Lane, were deemed to be 'overly sensual' for Indian audiences.
The organization, which has decided the suitability of films since 1952, demanded the edits before the cinematic release of 'Superman' in the country.
In the sanitized version of the well-reviewed film, which is playing in theaters in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, a total of 41 seconds were cut.
In the more passionate scenes between Superman and Lois Lane, played by David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, the sequences abruptly jump to another in the aftermath of the couple's embrace.
Also deleted was an eight-second scene where one of the Green Lanterns makes a middle finger during a fight.
DC Comics fans and superhero cinephiles in India took to social media to express outrage about the censorship.
'The Indian censor board has embarrassed itself with the abrupt cuts they've made to the film. The 'morality' of censorship aside, the way they've managed to mangle the flow is atrocious,' one social media user fumed.
Another wrote: 'So, Superman is NOT allowed to kiss Lois Lane on Indian screens. But all sleazy leading men of Indian films are allowed to pull, grope, assault, stalk, slap, and do whatever they want with their heroines. Are you serious, Indian censor board?'
'CBFC would allow horrific scenes of violence and sexual assault in a U-certified film that kids are freely allowed to watch, but won't allow consensual kissing in a U/A comic book movie that kids should watch under adult supervision,' someone shared.
Despite the cuts, 'Superman' ranked as the No. 1 movie in India with the biggest opening weekend for a DC film ever in that country, according to Warner Bros. India. The movie grossed $220 million since it opened internationally last weekend.
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