James Gunn’s Superman (2025), which hit the theatres on July 11 in India, has found itself in trouble after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has trimmed two kissing scenes — one of them 33 seconds long — between Superman (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), calling them “overly sensual”.
The decision has been strongly condemned by cinema audiences and directors, who are terming the cuts “hypocritical” and “anachronistic” and calling for a wider debate over India’s film censorship policy.
‘Superman’ Kiss Censorship Sparks Social Media Backlash
Indian viewers tuned in to sudden jump cuts in the movie where romantic scenes were chopped, and there was widespread indignation on social media. The fans vented their indignation, with one X user commenting “Whatever movie degrades women is fine while 2 people consensually getting intimate is grounds for imprisonment”.
Another user quoted Shashi Tharoor’s famous line: “You can piss in public but not kiss”, and condemned CBFC for “spoiling hollywood movies”.
Film Community Screams Double Standards Against CBFC
The CBFC cuts of consensual kisses while permitting gratuitous violence and misogynistic content in some other films have attracted charges of hypocrisy. Digital Artist Anmol Jamwal noted on X, “You can have lewd double meaning jokes in Housefull 5. Beheadings & savage violence in Jaat… Superman smooching Lois Lane is where we draw the line.”
You can have lewd double meaning jokes in Housefull 5.
Beheadings & gory violence in JaatBut….
Superman kissing Lois Lane is where we draw the line
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
— ANMOL JAMWAL (@jammypants4) July 11, 2025
Critics point out that films like Animal, which have been accused of promoting misogyny, are under fewer restraints, referring to the CBFC’s uneven use of “cultural sensitivities.” Kamasutra was also referred in this debate, with comment like, “BREAKING: The inventors of the Kama-Sutra are offended by sensuality.”
The row has pushed calls for overhaul of India’s censoring mechanism, with some instead requesting a certification board rather than a censor board. The board’s history of controversial cuts, ranging from censoring Spectre (2015) kisses to bending F1’s middle-finger emoji, is evidence of the ongoing battles between censorship and artistic freedom in Indian films.
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