In terms of the quantity of films produced each year, Bollywood is the world's largest film industry. Apart from the successes, failures, and averages, there is another sort of Indian film that is purposefully kept out of our sight. Strong (read: vulgar) language, provocative (read: vulgar) scenes, gender taboos, Kashmir concerns, religion, and films that are just ahead of their time.

Here is Lists of 15 Indian Movies That Got Banned By The Censor Board

Bandit Queen

Bandit Queen was straight out 'offensive,' 'vulgar,' 'indecent,' and mocked the Indian censor board's cinematic conservatism. It was such a topic. This Shekhar Kapur film, based on the life of Phoolan Devi, was prohibited owing to its graphic sexual material, nudity, and harsh language, which the Censor Board could not (obviously) stomach.

Fire

Deepa Mehta's work is known for its universal appeal and substance. Closer to home, though, this translates to a source of contention. One such film was 'Fire,' which received widespread critical praise but failed to appease Hindu organisations in India (such as the Shiv Sena).

The Kama Sutra - A Love Story

Kama Sutra - A Tale Of Love, in a somewhat hypocritical move, was also subjected to the wrath of the Censor Board, who labelled it "explicit," "unethical," and "immoral" for the audiences of the country that invented the notion of Kama Sutra!

Professor Urf

The film depicts the protagonist's journey when a hit-automobile man's and a winning lottery ticket go missing, as well as the pandemonium that ensues.

Parzania

Parzania ripped open the scars of Gujarat's troubled history, receiving both outrage and praise in equal measure. The film was based on a fantastic concept about a young child named Azhar who goes missing during the Gujarat riots in 2002.

Sins

Sins is a racy story about a Kerala priest who falls for a woman's attractions and becomes romantically entangled with her. Sins did not sit well with the Catholics since it was filled with passion, desire, and his difficulties with the standards of the culture he lived in. They believed the film portrayed Catholicism in a negative way.

Water

Water is another Deepa Mehta film that sparked debate due to its grim portrayal of the life of an Indian widow. Set at a Varanasi Ashram, the film's script was authored by none other than Anurag Kashyap and tackled contentious subjects such as ostracism and sexism, which were foreign to the Indian Censor Board at the time.

Firaaq

Firaaq, another film on the Gujarat riots, is said to be based on genuine events that occurred in the riot-torn Gujarat. Nandita Das was harshly chastised for offending Hindu and Muslim sensibilities, and the film was eventually banned.

The Mirror in Pink

While experimental films grew more common, gender concerns remained a sensitive subject to address. Sridhar Rangayan's film The Pink Mirror is one example of a film that pushed transsexuality to the forefront. The plot revolved around two transsexuals and a homosexual teenager attempting to attract a straight man.

Gandu

You'd be disappointed if you expected anything else from a film titled 'Gandu.' The Bengali film was a rap musical that received a lot of attention for its nudity and oral sex scenes. The film, which was shot in black and white, was prohibited because it 'offended Indian sensibilities.'

Football

Inshallah, Football is a documentary about a Kashmiri child who wants to tour the world and one day become a great footballer. However, because his father is accused of militancy, the youngster is barred from leaving the country.

Dazed in Doon

Doon School is regarded as one of the best schools in the country. Ratna Pathak Shah's coming-of-age film Dazed in Doon, which showed the narrative of a child studying at the elite Doon School and the life he spends there, caused controversy at the Doon School.

Unfreedom

Unfreedom is the most recent addition to India's lengthy list of banned films. It's a modern-day thriller about a lesbian love storey entwined in an Islamic terrorism-related plot. The Censor Board couldn't stomach the nudity and lovemaking sequences between the two protagonists since it included two 'taboos' in one package.

According to reports, the film was suspected of "igniting abnormal desires" and so was not allowed to be released across India, with the exception of a few states.

These are the 15 movies that were banned in India by the censor board.