Shashi Tharoor urges Union Ministry to lift ban on 19 films from Kerala Film Festival
Shashi Tharoor urged the Union Ministry to lift the ban on 19 films at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). He said arbitrary censorship diminishes India’s cultural reputation and risks crushing one of the country’s finest film festivals.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor commented on the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s denial of permission for the screening of 19 films at the 2025 International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). He said the ban is disappointing for those who “promote India on the world stage, and undermines our cultural reputation abroad and domestically.”
“The unprecedented crisis faced by the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) due to the denial of mandatory “censor exemption” to 19 selected films has forced the cancellation of screenings and led to widespread criticism about the sustainability and logic of film censorship in India,” Tharoor wrote in his ex-post.
He further added, “The rejected list includes a mix of contemporary political cinema, historical classics and retrospective works:
* Palestinian cinema: an important group of films, which includes that’s all you have left, Palestine 36, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, reasonableAnd Eagles of the Republic,
* Historical Classics: 100 Years Old Soviet Silent Classic battleship potemkin (1925) by Sergei Eisenstein. * Retrospective: Works by Lifetime Achievement Award winner Abderrahmane Sissako, including Timbuktu and Bamako. * Others: The Hour of the Furnaces (Argentine classic), Red Rain, and Spanish film beef (The title itself suggests that the bureaucrats are scared).”
He further wrote, “Many of these banned films have been screened (and even honored) at major Indian festivals in the past, highlighting a glaring inconsistency in the current decision-making process.
, reasonable (2017): This film is not new to India. In fact, it won the Golden Crow Pheasant (Suvarna Chakoram) at the 22nd IFFK in 2017. Rejecting it in 2025 on the same festival where it was once celebrated suggests arbitrary and inconsistent decision-making.
, Timbuktu (2014): This acclaimed film was screened in the International Competition section at IFFI Goa (2014), a festival directly organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The government had approved it then, but it has not been approved now despite its cinematic quality and anti-terrorism message.
, battleship potemkin (1925): As a 100-year-old classic, this film is a staple in Indian film institutes (such as FTII) and has been screened countless times in film societies and festivals across India over the decades. Its sudden blocking reflects cinematic illiteracy.”
“Although clearance is a legal requirement, international film festivals are given a special “censor exemption” by the I&B Ministry to screen foreign films without cutting and certification. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is consulted to ensure that films do not harm diplomatic relations or threaten the security of the state. A film may be blocked due to diplomatic sensitivities over the “Palestine” factor. reasonable, Palestine 36And others. But screening a film is unlikely to damage our relations with Israel! rejection of battleship potemkin, beef and anti-colonialism tthe hour of the furnaces This can be classified as lack of application of mind by those who are entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing the rules,” the Congress MP further said.
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Tharoor concluded, “In short, the denial defies logic, is disappointing to all who want to promote India on the world stage, and undermines our cultural reputation abroad and domestically. I have personally raised this with the Ministers of Information and Broadcasting and Foreign Affairs and urge them to reconsider these exclusions. We must ensure that red tape and censorship do not dampen the spirit of one of the finest celebrations of India’s cinema.”
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that all the films which were denied screening at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) would still be screened as part of the festival.
The Union ministry had banned the screening of 19 films at the 2025 International Film Festival of Kerala, including several based on Palestine and the Spanish film Beef, sparking public protests and criticism from organisers.
