Film inspired by Yogi Adityanath stuck in censorship row

The Hindu

2 hours ago

The Bombay High Court on Thursday (August 7, 2025) pulled up the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for rejecting a certification application for the Hindi language film Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi without first screening it, and directed the CBFC's Revising Committee to specify its objections to the film by August 11. The petitioner, Samrat Cinematics Private Limited, has been asked to respond to the objections by August 12, with the next hearing posted for August 14.
The film, described as a fictional narrative inspired by the book The Monk Who Became Chief Minister, was originally scheduled for release on August 1, but its theatrical debut was deferred after the CBFC rejected the certification request for the film, its trailer, teaser, and two promotional songs, via an email dated July 21.
Advocate Aseem Naphade, appearing for the makers of the film, argued that on July 3, the petitioner visited the office of the CBFC to enquire about the status of his applications. 'There, officials from the CBFC orally informed the petitioner that an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the CMO (Chief Minister's Office) of Uttar Pradesh is required for the film. A written communication reiterating this extraneous demand was received the same afternoon,' the petition stated, adding CBFC officials provided an oral assurance to the petitioner that the screening of the film had been scheduled for August 7.
The filmmakers had submitted documents show the author of the The Monk Who Became Chief Minister had no objection to the film, an invoice for the purchase of the book from the CMO's office, and other relevant documents requesting certification of the film under the priority scheme by paying thrice the standard fee.
On July 6, CBFC officials informed the filmmakers telephonically, without explanation, that the screening scheduled for July 7 had been cancelled. On the same day, the petitioner unsuccessfully attempted to meet the CBFC's head to secure a revised screening date. Multiple submissions were made subsequently to no avail.
On July 14, a petition was filed in the High Court regarding the undue delay by the CBFC to which, on July 17, the court directed the CBFC to complete the entire process and decide on the application within two days.
Advocate Naphade submitted that a series of emails were sent to the CBFC after the court's order. On July 21, the CBFC, at 9 p.m., sent an e-mail that said the applications for certification of Ajey, along with its trailer, teaser, and promotional song had been rejected without screening or examination of the film.
On July 24, the CBFC raised an allegedly erroneous finding that the application submitted by Samrat Cinematics had been dismissed based on the description of the film and the documents furnished by the petitioner, 'wherein, Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath is seen on the cover page of the book which is allegedly signifying that the movie is based on Shri Yogi Adityanath'.
Senior advocate, Abhay Khandeparkar, for the CBFC, informed the court that the film certification body had rejected the application after watching the film.
After hearing the arguments, a Division Bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale observed that the CBFC had failed to follow basic statutory procedure under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, particularly Section 4, which mandates that a film must be screened and that the producer must be provided an opportunity to respond before any refusal to certify. 'How can you reject without screening?' the Bench reportedly asked, terming the Board's conduct 'unacceptable' and 'mechanical'.
'Why can't the CBFC tell them what the scenes are? They can give a disclaimer. These are not reasons and not as per the rules. Why don't you give them the grounds for rejection?' the Bench asked.
According to the petition, the CBFC's inaction and subsequent rejection without examination of the film has caused severe commercial losses to the producers, who had invested approximately ₹30 crore into the project and had entered into distribution agreements for theatrical release across 1,000 screens in India and 200 overseas. The delay also disrupted the marketing campaign, which included a tie-up with the Lucknow IPL franchise and other promotional partnerships.