“This is not my body. I have to let it go.” - Einar Wegener
Above, Einar Wegener, protagonist of ‘The Danish Girl’, sums up the inner struggles of people who identify as a gender other than the one they were born as. The Oscar-winning film is based on a work of fiction that is loosely inspired by the true story of Lili Elbe — the first man to undergo a male to female sex reassignment surgery.
Understandably, this would set off every possible radar at India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), who went a step ahead this time. Instead of censoring or cutting scenes from the film, as they are known to do otherwise with such layered conten, they’ve simply axed the whole film. Sony Le PLEX HD, a channel of Sony Pictures Network, was expected to broadcast The Danish Girl, today, 26 March, until they unexpectedly tweeted about their inability to do so, “We regret to inform you that Sony Le Plex HD is unable to telecast the television premiere of the award-winning film The Danish Girl on March 26 as the necessary certification to enable the telecast of the movie has not been received.”
The CBFC deemed the entire theme of the film as unsuitable for broadcast, even after the film previously received an A certificate, with no cuts theatrically. Theatres in India screened the film without any problems. A CBFC board member who didn’t want to be identified, told the Mumbai Mirror that the subject was sensitive, which led to the question, “How do you edit a subject like that?” The movie was released with no cuts, to sensitively show the dilemma of a person who doesn’t identify with his gender. Every film that receives an A certification for its theatrical release has to reapply for certification for television broadcast. She continued, “What may be suitable for a metropolis, may not be suitable for a small village.”
It may be an explanation, but a film that exemplifies the battles faced by the transgender community, that individuals today too can broadly identify with, and perhaps take solace from, should be broadcasted. Not only would it aid in broadening this narrow perspective Indian society maintains a firm hold on, perhaps it would open up more conversations on a topic often evaded.