Anubhav Sinha on CBFC Impact and IC 814 Series

Anubhav Sinha Opens Up About CBFC Challenges, Creative Struggles, and Box Office Setbacks with IC 814 Series

Anubhav Sinha, the well-known director famous for his films that make people think now finds himself at the center of a heated discussion about his newest work IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. This series, which brings to life the scary events of the Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 hijacking in 1999, has caused quite a stir because of how it shows the hijackers.

The director has now voiced his worries about the Central Board of Film Certification's (CBFC) meddling and how it affects artistic freedom in Indian movies. When he talked to Indian Express, Sinha pointed out the hurdles filmmakers must overcome when dealing with India's rules. He said that although he'd like more freedom to create, the truth is that the CBFC must follow the country's laws. He stressed that filmmakers can't argue with what the board asks for, "If the country's law tells me I can't release my film unless I do this, I have to obey the law."

Anubhav Sinha's movies often face problems with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). When he released Bheed (2023), Mulk (2018), and Article 15 (2019), he went through a long and tough process to get them certified. His projects needed big changes and many talks with the CBFC to get the release okay. The 'Thappad' director said, "CBFC is the law of the land. It tells me, 'Anubhav, if you want to release your film, you have to delete this,' I have to delete this. As simple as that." Sinha admitted that this meddling hurts the creative quality of his projects. He said, "It hurts the creativity of a film, it's not a maybe. It does. But, it is the law of the land." On a related note, Kangana Ranaut's new movie 'Emergency' is having trouble getting its CBFC certificate, which made it miss its September 6 release date.

The director also spoke about how box office flops affect him considering his latest films Bheed and Anek. These movies got good reviews from critics but didn't make much money at the theaters. Sinha portrayed the experience as crushing noting that it can erode one's self-assurance and make them hesitant to take on new ventures. Yet, he also stressed how crucial it is to bounce back from failures, remarking, "As long as you are not ashamed of your film… you take it in a stride."