The new Superman movie has been forced to remove two scenes from screenings in India after they were deemed ‘overly sensual’.
While cinemagoers in the rest of the world saw the blockbuster in its entirety, Indian fans noticed a jarring skip.
On two occasions, as the superhero leaned in for a kiss, the film suddenly lurched forward, cutting to the aftermath of an embrace.
The film, directed by James Gunn, originally featured a 33-second scene between Superman and Lois Lane in which they are seen passionately smooching.
However, India’s notoriously prudish film board, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), deemed this inappropriate for Indian audiences and subsequently cut it from the movie.
The organisation said the moment was ‘too sensual’ to be branded with the U/A film certification, which roughly translates to a 12A or Parental Guidance in other countries around the world.
The cuts have sparked furore from some viewers, who have accused CBFC of regressive and hypocritical censorship.
Many highlighted that the same board which removed a consensual kiss regularly permitted films that glorified violence, promoted regressive gender roles, or peddled misinformation about minority religious communities.
Fans have taken to social media to express their frustration over the cuts.
One viewer said: ‘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.’
Another added: ‘Dear Board Members of CBFC, you are a disgrace to the film industry.
‘Emoji censoring was your lowest point, & today, it was kissing (not making out, just passionate/sensual kissing) in Superman that was cut.
‘If movies are already made to be in ICU, you are the kill switch.’
A third wrote: ‘Now watching and boy howdy the Indian censor board has embarrassed itself with the abrupt cuts they’ve made to the film.
‘The “morality” of aside, the way they’ve managed to mangle the flow is atrocious. Awful editing job all around by the CBFC.’
This is not the first time the CBFC has been the subject of controversy.
In 2015 it sparked fury after ordering that kissing scenes in James Bond movie, ‘Spectre,’ be shortened by 50% ahead of its release in India
The organisation demanded that four scenes be trimmed, including at least two kisses between the lead actors, Daniel Craig and Monica Bellucci.
The decision to reduce the length of the scenes triggered a social media storm as Indians mocked the prudishness of film certification authorities.
Ashoke Pandit, a member of the censor board, confirmed to BBC Hindi that the scenes had been heavily edited, but claimed the decision had been made in ‘personal capacity’ by the board’s controversial head, Pahlaj Nihalani.
‘He does these kind of things,’ Pandit said. ‘Other shots have also been cut along with the kissing scene. This seems like a joke. If you do this to a James Bond film, then it’s shameful.’
Kissing scenes are regularly censored in films and TV shows in India as public displays of affection are still widely looked down upon in the largely conservative country.
