Issue censor certificate to Manushi after necessary cuts, orders Madras High Court

The Madras High Court on Friday (August 29, 2025) directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant censor certificate to the Tamil movie Manushi, produced by renowned film director C. Vetri Maaran, after he carries out the necessary modifications/incisions pointed out by the court.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh had watched the movie with the filmmakers and CBFC officials on August 24, 2025, before listing out the modifications/incisions. He directed Mr. Maaran to carry out the cuts within two weeks so that the certificate could be issued immediately thereafter.

Manushi, starring Andrea Jeremiah, and directed by Aramm fame Gopi Nainar had become controversial after the CBFC had refused to issue a censor certificate on the ground that it had portrayed the State in poor light and it had confused “leftist communism” with “mainstream communism.”

Mr. Maaran approached the High Court in June 2025 challenging the decision of the CBFC. Then, Justice Venkatesh wondered how the board could refuse to issue certificate to an entire movie without listing out the portions that required to be edited out.

However, after the CBFC agreed to list out the visuals and dialogues that required editing, the judge disposed of the first writ petition with liberty to the producer to take action in accordance with the law. Subsequently, Mr. Maaran filed the present writ petition, challenging as many as 37 cuts insisted by CBFC.

Mr. Maaran’s counsel contended the CBFC had failed to consider the movie in light of well-established guidelines, and that the board had insisted on editing out even simple dialogues such as ‘saniyan’ (a Tamil term used to scold people) to be eligible for public screening in cinema theatres.

Pursuant to the filing of the second writ petition, the judge had decided to watch the movie himself at a private screening, before taking a final call on the matter. Accordingly, he viewed the movie along with the filmmakers as well as CBFC officials and listed out the modifications/incisions required for its release.

The trailer of Manushi released by actor Vijay Sethupathi on his X handle in April 2024 had shown it to be a story revolving around the custodial torture of a woman suspected to be a terrorist.