A controversial film that wove together gore, vigilante justice, and biting digs at religion has been denied the right to screen, with the Delhi High Court making it clear that artistic freedom cannot be stretched to the point of tearing social harmony apart.
The movie in question—Masoom Kaatil—was pitched as a dark tale of a schoolboy-turned-vigilante who targets butchers after becoming obsessed with the idea that slaughtered animals might be reincarnations of loved ones. Alongside a like-minded classmate, he unleashes a wave of killings, narrated through bloody imagery, cannibalistic overtones, and an unsettling glorification of violence.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had already slammed the brakes on the project, with both its Delhi and Mumbai committees unanimously branding the film unfit for release. Their reasons: it wasn’t just violent, it was incendiary—insulting religions, glorifying unlawful acts, depicting minors indulging in savage brutality, and normalizing gore.
When filmmaker Shyam Bharteey challenged that refusal, the Court sided firmly with the censor board. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted that the 1991 certification guidelines explicitly bar content that ridicules communities, promotes communal disharmony, or corrupts young audiences. Masoom Kaatil, the Court said, trampled across all those lines.
The bench didn’t mince words about the dangers of the film’s narrative. It portrayed teenagers as cold-blooded killers without ever condemning their actions, effectively turning vigilantism into heroism. The Court warned that such storytelling undermines faith in the legal system, planting the seed that violence is an acceptable path to justice.
Adding to the unease, the trailer alone—available online—was described as “a difficult watch,” steeped in gore and cruelty. “In a diverse, secular society, certification cannot be granted to a film that ridicules religions, incites hatred, or threatens social harmony,” the Court observed, sealing the fate of the filmmaker’s appeal.
With this ruling, Masoom Kaatil remains barred from theatres, a reminder that while cinema may push boundaries, it cannot be allowed to drag society into chaos.
