CBFC Rises Again: ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Banned in India

It would perhaps simply be easier to keep a count of the films they DON’T ban.

A still from Fifty Shades Darker.

The Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) has struck again. It has banned the much talked about erotic thriller Fifty Shades Darker in India. Directed by James Foley and featuring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dorman as a couple find themselves on the darker side of love, the film which opened in the Valentine weekend is a success in the US in spite of the negative reviews.

The ban in India should come as no surprise to the Fifty Shades team. The first film Fifty Shades Of Grey, released in 2015 the world over, was also banned in India, and in several other countries in spite of the preposterous premise and risible love scenes.

The proceedings in the sequel are even more outrageous. But the CBFC sees no humour in being horny.

<i>Fifty Shades Darker</i> stands banned. Even in the US it was granted an ‘R’ rating and in the UK it was given an ‘18’ rating. In India we do not have ‘R’ or ‘18’. The closest we have to these ratings is a ‘PG’ which is not suitable for a film based on the subject of sex.

A source close to CBFC

Not surprisingly, the Indian distributors Universal Pictures have decided to not dispute the CBFC ban.

Universal has the option of removing the sex scenes in <i>Fifty Shades Darker </i>as they were removed in Vietnam. But Universal prefers not to release the film in India.