India's Censor Board Muted The Word "Lesbian" In "Dum Laga Ke Haisha"

Amongst other cuts recommended by the CBFC, the L word was deemed inappropriate for Indian audiences.

Yashraj Films' Dum Laga Ke Haisha released on Feb. 27 to rave reviews.

Yashraj Films

Despite the movie's sweet nature and positive message, it is now being reported that the film was recommended five cuts by the censor board.

Via Twitter: @thesubdude

Going by the photo of the film's censor certificate, one of the cuts recommended by the board was the word "lesbian" being muted in a scene. According to popular film blog MoiFightClub, since the scene in question was shot in a way that the makers could not mute just the word, they had to remove the entire dialogue.

It should also be noted that some of the other cuts, such as the deletion of the word "harami," find mention in the list of words that the censor board was said to have banned last month.

Via buzzfeed.com

Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani has since publicly stated that this list would be put on hold. Looking at this censor certificate signed by him, however, it would seem that cussing and homosexuality are still areas that haven't won his or his board's favour.

Under the Cinematograph Act of 1952, the Indian censor board is charged with protecting the Indian public from viewing films that:

Via buzzfeed.com

Homosexual intercourse is illegal under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and perhaps the CBFC's logic in muting mentions of homosexuality is that such content could "incite viewers to commit crimes," where the "crime" in question is practicing sexual freedom. Section 377 itself has been one of the most contentious Indian laws in recent times.