Authorities ordered the removal of scenes and dialogues involving the Prime Minister in order for the movie to obtain a release certificate.
This statement was originally published on freedomforum.org.np on 14 March 2025.
The Central Board of Film Censorship restricted the use of part of the content from the movie Rajaganj before its release. The board granted the movie a permission certificate after removing the scenes that contained statements by the head of government. The film is officially released today (March 14).
On March 10, the board issued a notice stating that scenes and dialogues involving the Prime Minister must be removed in order to obtain a release certificate. The scene featured a ten-seconds-long speech by the PM given ten years ago. The board also ordered the film team to remove the words “Prime Minister,” “India,” and “Bharat” from the dialogues in the film.
According to the director of the film, Deepak Rauniyar, many scenes were removed and left blank. However, the film’s duration is not shortened. Some dialogues have been muted, so the audience will understand that those scenes have been censored. He added that the board even asked the team to get permission from the Prime Minister’s office to play those scenes.
The video of the PM is however publicly available on the internet and was used in the film without edits.
Earlier on February 19, the board censored a few scenes from the film Tandavam, citing violent scenes before its release. The film was subsequently released after removing those scenes on February 21.
“This move by the censor board is an absolute violation of free expression and artistic freedom. Authorities should understand that the films are fictional stories reflecting the issues of society we live in,” said Taranath Dahal, Executive Chief of Freedom Forum.
