More than 100 citizens, including activists, academics, lawyers, filmmakers, journalists, and students, gathered in Ranchi, Jharkhand, to watch the film Santosh under the open sky near Tagore Hill on May 2, 2025.
Organised by the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), the public screening was followed by an enlightening discussion. Viewers appreciated the film for its bold depiction of police brutality, caste discrimination, and institutional Islamophobia.
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Santosh was banned by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) due to its portrayal of police violence. The CBFC demanded several cuts and even objected to the use of the word “Dalit,” which the producers refused to comply with.
JJM accused the CBFC of acting less like a certification board and more like a political tool of the ruling party. They alleged that while the Board readily passes films that align with the government’s ideology, it censors films that expose the harsh realities of inequality, injustice, and communalism.
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The viewers issued an open letter to CBFC Chairman Prasoon Joshi, urging him to allow the release of Santosh without any cuts.
The letter noted the irony that the CBFC approved excessively violent and gory films, often watched by children, while opposing a restrained yet factually accurate portrayal of police brutality in Santosh.
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They further claimed that the CBFC’s actions seemed like an attempt to suppress awareness of widespread caste discrimination and untouchability in Indian society, raising concerns about the Board’s own casteist biases.
The viewers expressed confusion over the objections raised against such socially relevant films. On the contrary, they felt Santosh should be seen as widely as possible across India.
Even the Indian government has recently recognised the importance of understanding caste realities through the Caste Census.
Caste discrimination and untouchability are still deeply entrenched in Indian society, and suppressing this truth does more harm than good.
Films like Santosh serve to educate the public on the brutalities of the caste system. Only through such awareness can society take real steps toward eradicating discrimination.
