For a better experience, click the Compatibility Mode icon above to turn off Compatibility Mode, which is only for viewing older websites.

Political Censorship and Indian Cinematographic Laws: A Functionalist-Liberal Analysis

Abstract

India produces more motion pictures than any other country. Indian cinema is synonymous with the extravagant musicals of “Bollywood,” a portmanteau word that the Oxford English Dictionary credits the British detective novelist H.R.F. Keating with inventing. There also exists a parallel arthouse genre of Indian cinema. Internationally, the most well-known proponent of the latter school is probably the late Bengali director Satyajit Ray, whose many laurels include an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Throughout history, these two divergent cinematic schools have shared an unfortunate common characteristic—that of rigorous state censorship.