‘Superman’ cut from Indian screenings due to being “too sensual”
A kiss scene in the latest Superman movie has been removed from screenings of the superhero blockbuster in India.
The film, directed by James Gunn, originally featured a 33-second scene between Superman and Lois Lane in which they are seen passionately kissing. However, the Central Board of Film Certification deemed this inappropriate for Indian audiences and subsequently cut it from the movie.
The organisation said the moment was “too sensual” to be branded with the U/A film certification, which roughly translates to a 12A or Parental Guidance in other countries around the world.
The decision has been branded as censorship and condemned by Indian audiences, who noted that the board had a track record of cutting relatively innocuous scenes from other recent films.
Most recently, the Brad Pitt racing drama F1 was digitally altered by the board to change a middle finger gesture into a fist, and swear words were cut from the Marvel movie Thunderbolts*.
Despite this, other films with violent themes or sexist tropes have reportedly bypassed the film certification board’s standards, prompting allegations of inconsistency.
Elsewhere in other countries, Superman has been criticised for being “woke”, according to actor Dean Cain, who played the superhero in the 1990s TV show Lois and Clarke: The New Adventures of Superman.
This was in response to director Gunn claiming that he wanted the latest instalment in the franchise to tell the story of immigrants and be rooted in the principle of “basic human kindness.”
Despite the backlash in some areas, Superman has become one of the most successful films of the year so far, and indeed of the entire franchise as a whole, as it grossed over $200 million over the course of its opening weekend.
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