Opposition MPs have urged the Union government to direct the Central Board of Film Certification to examine the film The Voice of Hind Rajab “strictly in accordance with constitutional principles governing freedom of expression” and grant it certification.
The letter, dated March 24, came after media reports said that the film’s release had been blocked.
On March 19, Variety quoted the film’s local distributor as saying that the Central Board of Film Certification has blocked the theatrical release of the film in the country owing to fears that it will “break up” ties between India and Israel.
The Oscar-nominated film, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, depicts the real story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped inside a car attacked by Israeli forces in Gaza and later found dead.
The incident, which took place in 2024, occurred while Israel was carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on the besieged Palestinian enclave. The strikes, which began in October 2023, have left more than 70,000 persons dead.
In a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the MPs said that reports that the film board has “orally declined” certification to The Voice of Hind Rajab raise “serious concerns” about whether factors beyond the statutory framework for film certification had influenced the decision-making process.
They said that any decision on film certification and screening should not depend upon “perceived diplomatic relationships”.
“It is a foundational principle of our constitutional democracy that artistic expression cannot be curtailed through informal or opaque mechanisms,” they added.
The MPs said that any “departure from this due process, including oral instructions or informal advisories that effectively result in denial of certification, undermines institutional credibility and erodes public confidence in regulatory bodies entrusted with protecting creative freedom”.
“India’s democratic strength lies in its confidence to permit diverse narratives to be examined and debated in the public sphere,” they said.
The letter read: “Reliance on considerations beyond the statutory parameters…including perceived geopolitical sensitivities would create an undesirable precedent inconsistent with the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.”
It was signed by Jairam Ramesh of the Congress, John Brittas of the Trinamool Congress, Ram Gopal Yadav and Javed Ali Khan of the Samajwadi Party, Manoj Kumar Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Salma of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Sarfaraz Ahmad of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Haris Beeran of the Indian Union Muslim League.
Also Read: ‘Please don’t leave me,’ Hind Rajab pleaded. Why her voice needs to be heard
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