Release of ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ stalled in India: Oscar-nominated film did not get censor certificate, approval pending due to India-Israel relations

The release of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab, based on the story of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, is currently stalled in India. The film has not received the censor certificate yet. The film’s distributor Manoj Nandwana claimed that the film was sent to the Central Board of Film Certification. The board did not find any objectionable content in it, but considered it sensitive. The screening of the film took place in the last week of February. According to Nandwana, there is neither violence, nor obscene scenes nor any political dialogue in the film. Despite this, it was not approved keeping in mind India-Israel relations. He said that usually cuts are suggested for changes in films, but in this case it did not happen. The film has now been sent to the revising committee. Manoj Nandwana said that it is not known when the committee will be formed and by then the film may be old. On not getting the certificate, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that it is an issue of freedom of expression. The true story of Hind Rajab is shown in this film of Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, based on the film Palestinian Girl Hind Rajab. In January 2024, his car was attacked while fleeing Gaza City. In the film, the story is shown from the perspective of Red Crescent volunteers. The real voice of Hind Rajab has been used in the film. His body was found 12 days later along with his family and two volunteers. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2025, where it received the Grand Jury Prize. It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. This is not the first time that a film has faced problems with censor certificate in India. The 2024 film Santosh also did not get the certificate, due to which it could not be released.



Source link