Bollywood’s newest debutante couple, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, may have made audiences fall in love all over again with their sizzling on-screen chemistry in the musical Saiyaara. However, it seems the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) played spoilsport, clipping the couple’s intimate moments by deleting ten seconds of what it deemed “sensual, intimate, body exposure visuals.” This latest instance of censorship comes close on the heels of a similar move just two weeks ago, when the CBFC trimmed kissing scenes between David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan in the much-hyped Superman reboot. The double standard hasn’t gone unnoticed. Social media platforms like Reddit lit up with criticism. One user remarked, “The same CBFC gave Housefull 5 a U/A certificate. Hypocrisy.” Another quipped, “Vanga for CBFC chairman. Please update.” Filmmaker Aditya Kripalani reflected on the irony of the situation: “Countries in Europe, which are unafraid of showing sex on screen, have a limited population. Countries like India, where we are terrified of showing sex, have such a big population, that says it all.” Indeed, while the CBFC snips kissing scenes citing moral concerns, it appears to turn a blind eye to graphic violence, crude choreography, and sexually suggestive lyrics. One need look no further than Animal, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, which features intense violence and misogynistic undertones, or the raunchy dance number ‘Dabidi Dibidi’ from Daaku Maharaaj, not to mention overtly suggestive songs like ‘Oo Antava’ from Pushpa and ‘Jigelu Rani’ from Rangasthalam. Film analyst and critic Ramesh Bala says the inconsistency lies in the very structure of the board: “Different movies in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi are censored by different regional teams. There is no uniformity. One film may get an ‘A’ certificate while another with similar scenes receives a ‘U/A’. Also, since pornography is illegal in India, any depiction of sex, whether kissing or lovemaking, is scrutinized more than violence. That’s been the long-standing approach of the CBFC.” Filmmaker Amit Rai, whose OMG 2 faced its own battles with the CBFC in 2023, calls the entire process “archaic.” “I am beyond reacting to it now. I’ve witnessed their drama for far too long,” he says. “I entirely blame the chairperson, Prasoon Joshi, who doesn’t seem to realise the world has evolved, and so has the audience. Children today have access to content from across the globe. Yes, sensitivity is important when showcasing content, but it should not be outdated moral policing. We are in 2025, but the CBFC is living in 1980.”