India’s official Oscar entry, Homebound, is finally cleared by the CBFC but not without some serious editorial assistance.11 cuts. 77 seconds trimmed. Cricket scenes, dialogues, puja shots, even a passing car, nothing escaped the censor’s scissors. Here’s what this tells us about Indian cinema, censorship, and creativity under pressure.

A Film Trimmed Like It’s on a Diet Plan

CBFC’s edits read like a bizarre shopping list:

  • 32 seconds cut from a cricket match discussion
  • Dialogue “Aloo gobhi khaate hai” removed
  • A man doing puja for two seconds snipped
  • Muted words like gyaan
  • Minor visual edits (passing car shots, background adjustments)

At the end of it, the runtime sits at 122 minutes, with a U/A 16+ certificate. 77 seconds may sound small, but every snip carries a symbolic weight about what’s “safe” to show in Indian cinema.

Death by a Thousand Tiny Cuts

This isn’t about nudity or violence, it’s about managing sensitivities. Religion, caste, cricket, and cultural representations are the invisible landmines filmmakers must navigate. Homebound’s edits reflect a larger pattern: the CBFC reacts to fear, not art.

Oscar Dreams, Desi Nightmares

The irony is rich. International audiences praise Ghaywan’s vision, while domestic regulators treat the film like a potential scandal. A two-second puja shot sparks concern. Cricket scenes get shortened. Even harmless dialogues like “aloo gobhi” aren’t safe. It’s a lesson in how fragile India’s cultural guardians think audiences are.

Bubble-Wrapping Reality

Censorship here doesn’t protect culture, it sterilizes it. By assuming viewers can’t handle subtlety, the board forces filmmakers to self-censor, creatively neutering a story before it even reaches its audience.

The Joke’s on Us

Despite all the cuts, Homebound will likely shine. But the process highlights a stubborn paradox: India produces world-class films, yet struggles to trust its own audiences. In the end, the true villain isn’t box office failure,it’s the censor’s pen.