Zoya Akhtar Raises Hard-Hitting Questions Against Censorship; 'You Can See Women Being Beaten And Sexually Assaulted But Can't See Her Kiss'

Zoya Akhtar talks about the importance of intimacy in films and questions censorship over showing women being sexually assaulted and beaten.

Pic Courtesy: File Photo

Mumbai: In 2024 there is still a lot of debate over censorship in cinema when it comes to intimacy. Many filmmakers have stood out and raised their voices over their films facing censorship scissors and one such director is Zoya Akhtar. Zoya Akhtar recently at an event held in Mumbai spoke about how there are films that show women being sexually assaulted and beaten but cannot kiss.

Zoya argued, "It is very important to showcase consensual intimacy on screen. I grew up at a time where women were bullied, beaten up, harassed and sexually assaulted on screen. All these were allowed, but you couldn’t see a kiss. People should be allowed to see love, tenderness, physical intimacy between two adults".

In the same conversation, she added, " Every film has a tone, and every filmmaker tells a story in a particular way. As opposed to Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, where the choices of showcasing violence were ahead of their time, the violence in Tarantino’s films is operatic. It is all about what you are trying to evoke in the audience".

Talking about the cultural differences in many countries, she speaks about the intimacy being shown in the different worlds of cinema. "The French are more open with male nudity compared to the Americans. It depends on how comfortable you are with yourself, how you view sex, how you view your body."

Zoya Akhtar is one of the celebrated filmmakers and her last release is The Archies starring star kids like Suhana Khan, Agatsya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor.