Censor Board demand made this Malayalam film mute dialogues; now heads to Moscow Film Festival

Thiruvananthapuram: A Malayalam film that faced censorship scrutiny in India over concerns linked to shrinking space for freedom of expression has been invited to the Moscow International Film Festival.

The film Private, written and directed by Deepak Deon and featuring Indrans and Meenakshi in lead roles, has been selected for the festival, which begins on Thursday and runs for a week.

Film centred on freedom of expression and rights

The film deals with recent challenges to freedom of expression in India and alleged suppression of human rights, placing its narrative within a contemporary socio-political context.

Its scheduled release on August 1 was blocked by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The board directed the removal of certain terms used in the film, including “Citizenship Bill”, “Hindi speakers”, “Bihar” and “Ramarajya”. These words were later muted in the final cut.

Re-editing orders and later release

Following the controversy, the film was eventually released on October 10.

Deepak Deon said the film is a response to Indian realities, adding that the invitation to the Moscow festival is also a form of recognition for that response.