Movies from India that were censored for their content are now available on over-the-top (OTT) platforms.Numerous films are prohibited from being screened in theatres across India for nudity, sexuality, and political reasons. The top 10 Bollywood films that were pulled from theatres but are still available on over-the-top (OTT) services like Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, etc. are examined in this article.Even though some Bollywood films are uncensored and controversial but are still shown in theatres, examples include Mohalla Assi and Indu Sarkar, whose theatrical releases were delayed due to the films’ contentious subjects. These films were eventually released after winning their legal battles.
1- Inshallah, Football
Director: Ashvin Kumar
Producer: Javed Jaffrey
The movie tells the tale of a young Kashmiri football hopeful whose father was a Hizbul Mujahidin militant. In the film, Basharat Baba aka Basha faces challenges that the director Ashvin Kumar has depicted.The movie was denied a censorship certificate, which meant that it was not permitted to be screened in theatres. You can watch this movie on YouTube Premium.
2- Water
Director: Deepa Mehta
Star Cast: John Abraham, Lisa Ray
Production Company: David Hamilton Productions
In the John Abraham film Water, a widow’s situation in India in 1938 is discussed. The movie’s screenplay was written by Anurag Kashyap. The movie also depicts how misogynistic and ostracising our society was while it was ruled by the British. This movie is available on YouTube.It is the third series in Deepa Mehta’s Elements trilogy, following the releases of “Fire” in 1996 and “Earth” in 1998. This film served as the inspiration for two works of literature: “The Forgotten Woman” by Dilip Mehta and “Water: A Novel” by Bapsi Sidhwa.
3- Unfreedom
Director: Raj Amit Kumar
Star Cast: Victor Banerjee, Adil Hussain, Bhanu Uday, Preeti Gupta
Production Company: Dark Frames 69 Productions
Two characters—one a Muslim fundamentalist in New York and the other a lesbian in New Delhi—center the film. The plot centres on an identity war against oppression. The movie’s story was co-written by the director Raj Amit Kumar as well.The censor board refused to certify the movie; they suggested cuts to the director, who rejected them, so the movie was never shown in theatres. It is accessible through Netflix’s streaming service.
4- Black Friday
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Production Company: Mid Day Multimedia Limited, Big Bang Pictures, Mirror films
The narrative examines the events that followed the bombings in Mumbai and Bombay in March 1993. A Hussain Zaidi book titled “Black Friday: The True Story of The Bombay Bomb Blasts” served as inspiration for the film. Both the film’s screenplay and direction were created by Anurag Kashyap. A crime thriller, that is.The Bombay high court ruled against the motion picture following a petition submitted by one of the bomb blast accusers, Mustaq Moosa Tarani. It is accessible through Hotstar.
5- Kissa Kursi ka
Director: Amrit Nahata
Star Cast: Shabana Azmi, Manohar Singh
Producer: Bhagwant Deshpande, Vijay Kashmiri, Baba Majgavkar
A corrupt politician named Gangaram is the focus of the political satire movie Kissa Kursi Ka, which stars Manohar Singh. The central government is unhappy with the movie. At that time, which results in the movie’s being forbidden. It’s accessible via YouTube.Raj Kiran, Utpal Dutt, and Rehana Sultan are also included in the movie along with Shaban Azmi and Manohar Singh. Jaidev provides the soundtrack for the film.
6- Gandu
Director: Qaushiq Mukherjee
Star Cast: Anubrata Basu, Joyraj Bhattacharjee
Producer: Taha Kamran
The movie’s director, Qaushiq Mukherjee, also cowrote the script and handled the cinematography. Anubrata Basu, who plays the film’s protagonist and addict rapper, is the focus of the narrative. The film contains numerous erotic scenes and coarse language, which at the time caused controversy.Gandu is played by Anubrata Basu, and Ricksha is portrayed by Joyraj Bhattacharjee. It is accessible through Netflix’s streaming service.
7- Parzania
Director: Rahul Dholakia
Star Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Sarika
Producer: Rahul Dholakia, Kamal Patel
The story centres on an American named Allan who travelled to India in search of tranquilly. He also meets a Pitthawala family whose son went missing following the riots that took place in Gujarat in 2002. The search for the missing child and the cause of the racial riots has started under Allan.The movie is accessible on Hotstar. Rahul Dholakia collaborated on the writing, production, and direction of this movie. The lost child’s father, Cyrus, is portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah, and the movie is available in Gujarati, Hindi, and English.
8- Angry Indian Goddesses
Director: Pan Nalin
Star Cast: Sandhya Mridul, Sarah-Jane Dias
Production Company: Jungle Book Entertainment
The movie is about a girl named Joanna Mendes, also known as Jo, who was raped and killed as a result. In the story, her friends also track down the criminals and kill them one by one.Jo is portrayed by Amrit Maghera, and her friends are played by Sarah-Jane Dias, Sandhya Mridul, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Anushka Manchanda. Pan Nalin is the author of the movie’s plot and screenplay. Netflix should have it.
9- Loev
Director: Sudhanshu Saria
Star Cast: Dhruv Ganesh, Shiv Panditt, Siddharth Menon
Production Company: Bombay Berlin film Productions, Four Line Films
The story of Loev centres on Sahil and Jay, two gay couples. It discusses their relationship, romance, and falling out. Shiv Pandit plays the role of Jay, a businessman in the film, and Dhruv Ganesh plays Sahil (it was his final film as he passed away from tuberculosis).The movie’s producer and director, Sudhanshu Saria, also wrote the script. Tony Kakkar provides the music. It debuted on Netflix on May 1, 2017.
10- Fire
Director: Deepa Mehta
Star Cast: Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi
Production Company: Kaleidoscope Entertainment, Trial By Fire Films
The first gay and lesbian relationship-focused movie to be produced in India was this one, which came out in 1996. The first installment in Deepa Mehta’s “Elements Trilogy” film series. The lead roles in the movie are being played by Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das as Radha and Sita, respectively. It’s accessible via YouTube.Javed Jaffrey, Dilip Mehta, and Vinay Pathak are also present in the movie. In the movie, A.R. Rehman composed the music. English and Hindi are the two languages that are supported.