Overview
- Certification has been withheld for the Oscar‑nominated docudrama, blocking a planned March 6 opening after a February screening, according to the Indian distributor.
- Distributor Manoj Nandwana says a board member warned the release could “break up the India–Israel relationship,” with no written reasons provided, and the CBFC did not respond to requests for comment.
- An official said the chair referred the film to a revising committee on March 10 under Rule 24(1), leaving it pending review rather than formally banned, with limited appeal options since the FCAT has not operated since 2021.
- Director Kaouther Ben Hania and politicians including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned the hold as undermining free expression, as coverage notes India’s closer ties with Israel after Prime Minister Modi’s late‑February visit.
- The Venice prizewinner and Oscars nominee has released in the U.S., U.K., Italy and France and screened at Kolkata’s film festival, sharpening scrutiny of India’s opaque certification process.