CBFC Sparks Debate by Censoring Hijab Burning Scene in Rasoulof's Film

Photo : Instagram / @nufdiran

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has asked for some changes in the movie The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. The changes include adding warnings about smoking and subtitles. But the biggest change has upset many people. The CBFC has removed the scenes where a hijab is burned, which are important to show the protest in Iran’s 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement.

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The team behind the film is unhappy about the CBFC's decision. An insider close to the team said, "We are upset because those scenes are important to the story. They show the spirit of rebellion that the film is trying to highlight. The CBFC removed them because they were worried about the reactions, but cutting them hurts the movie's meaning."

The Seed of the Sacred Fig has been praised at many film festivals. The movie was secretly shot in Iran, and the people making it faced a lot of difficulties. Producer Jean-Christophe Simon said, “Making the film felt like making a thriller. We had to pretend we were working on a different movie to avoid trouble with the government.”

Although the film has done well in other countries, it still doesn’t have a release date for India. Some people think the CBFC's decision was a smart move to avoid trouble, but others believe it weakens the movie’s message. A member of the team working on the film said, "The movie is about a judge controlling a system, but the film itself is being controlled. Apart from cutting the hijab-burning scenes, there are also smoking warnings, some words are removed from the subtitles, and about two minutes of the film have been edited out.”

Even with these changes, people are still excited to watch the film, but it is unclear when it will be released in India. This situation has led to discussions about censorship and how much freedom filmmakers should have when dealing with sensitive topics.