Mumbai: From cheating on spouses, casting couches to tongue-in-cheek remarks, the Hindi film industry is a playing field of controversy. The first controversy appeared way back in 1921 in a silent film Bhakta Vidur.
In this film the Hindu mythological character was moulded on the personality of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This was the first Indian film to face a ban.
Here are some lesser known facts about some controversial movies of Hindi film industry:
Water: Water by Deepa Mehta, is set in 1938 and explores the lives of widows at an ashram in Varanasi, India. After several controversies surrounding the film in India, the Indian censor boards cleared the film with a ‘U’ certificate. It was released in India 9 March 2007. It hurt the feelings of Hindus which led to burning of posters of this movie on the ghats. Activist Arun Pathak also organised a suicide protest to stop the film production.
My Name Is Khan: This film has been directed by Karan Johar, and starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles. Before its release, the film generated a great deal of publicity for itself due to three main reasons: first, the multiple political controversies surrounding the film and its lead actor. After Shahrukh Khan criticised the fact that members of the Pakistani Cricket Team were not bought by the clubs competing in the 2010 Indian Premier League (IPL), he was condemned by Shiv Sena, a Hindu nationalist political party. There were consequent protests and demonstrations against him and demands that cinemas in India refuse to screen My Name Is Khan.
Aakarshan: Aakarshan is based upon socio-political drama based on the controversial policy of caste based reservations in Indian government jobs and educational institutions. This film touched the sensitive nerves of some people when it portrayed the caste based reservation system in India. As a result, the movie was banned in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh before its release.
Fire: Fire continues is regarded as one of the most controversial films in India. This is the first film to explicitly show homosexual relations. After its 1998 release in India, certain groups staged several protests, setting off a flurry of public dialogue around issues such as homosexuality and freedom of speech.
OMG- Oh My God!: The satirical comedy featuring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar ran into trouble for hurting Hindu religious sentiments. The Umesh Shukla directed film earned Rs 81 crore at the box office.
PK: The Aamir Khan-starrer roused a huge social debate thanks to its satirical take on religion. The Rajkumar Hirani directed blockbuster that also starred Anushka Sharma netted Rs 337 crore at the box office.
PNN