The First silent feature film made in India was Raja Harishchandra. It was released in 1913. The first Indian sound film was Ardeshir Irani’s Alam Ara released in 1931. 1931 to 2012 Indian cinema has come a long way in terms of technology, art & direction, budget and all other possible terms. One thing that has changed drastically is the attitude. Its more open and bold now as compared to what it was Controversial 80–85 years ago.
Indian Cinema is now comprised of a realm of matured, liberal-minded experiment-oriented people who do not hesitate trying new things. Many of the films made by these open-minded people crash into controversies for one or more reasons. Some are criticized for their stories, some for their bold scenes and others for their unacceptable content.
Following we have listed Bollywood’s most controversial movies of all the time.
Controversy on Screen: Bollywood’s Most Daring Movies
The movie was absolutely fine as far as the display, visual and content were concerned. But, it did create a buzz in the country and was banned by Indira Gandhi for quite some time. For some reason Indira Gandhi felt that the movie was mildly influenced by her life.
Starring: Sanjeev Kumar, Suchitra Sen
Chetna Controversial
Chetna is a story of a straight-forward hard drinking prostitute. The bold and steamy scenes in the film starring Rehana Sultan, Anil Dhawan, and Shatrughan Sinha generated controversy in the early 1970s. The film’s impact allegedly typecast Rehana Sultan, hurting her career prospects.
Shocking the Senses: Bollywood’s Boldest Films
There wasn’t anything special in the movie, but there was a major controversy related to a rape scene of a 13-year-old minor girl. Padmini Kolhapure’s role in the film, including a contentious rape scene, drew criticism for being exploitative. Nevertheless, the film achieved box-office success.
Fire
The film, released in 1996, sparked controversy over its bold content. The story of the film revolves around two lesbians who are sisters-in-law and are also victims of unsuccessful marriages. Fire was the first ever film in the mainstream cinema to explicitly show homosexual relations.
Starring: Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi
Zeenat Aman’s provocative dressing and extremely steamy scenes between Rishi Kapoor and her fumed furry among the audience. This change makes the sentence more direct! However, the film was a huge success and won various awards.
Black Friday
Crossing Lines: Bollywood’s Most Provocative Films
Black Friday is based on a true-life event of ’93 Bombay blasts. The film revolves around the intense events and happening of the blasts. People named in the film, alleged perpetrators of the crime, filed a petition seeking a stay on its release, arguing that the film would bias public opinion against them and impact the court’s decision in the pending 1993 case. The court upheld their argument, delaying the film’s release in Indian theaters for two years.
Sins
Protesters criticized “Sins” for its perceived negative portrayal of Catholicism and indecent content. As a result, authorities banned the film for its explicit erotic content.
Kissa Kursi Ka
Kissa Kursi Ka was a controversial film that revolved around a corrupt and evil politician. The spoof is based on ’emergency’ and ‘Sanjay Gandhi’. The Indian Government (Congress) banned the film and confiscated all prints.
The movie, inspired by real-life events, accurately portrayed Phoolan Devi’s painful life, earning global acclaim. However, the gang rape scene and other content sparked controversy. Phoolan herself wanted to stop the nationwide release of the film.
The film was based on a teenager attracted to a married middle-aged woman. Manisha Koirala played the lead role. Manisha Koirala accused the authorities for using a body double in the steamy scenes created controversies. She accused the film production for using body double without her consent to which she tried to hinder the film release.
Leave a Comment