 "Decoding the troubles Shahana Goswami's 'Santosh' faced due to the censor board as it finally gears up for its release")
There are silences that weigh heavier than words, silences that can bury a truth as completely as a shallow grave. Into that silence steps Santosh, a film that refuses to look away. After earning international acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 (Un Certain Regard), the film will now reach audiences for the very first time, and in doing so, marks a homecoming for a story that has resonated globally but was always rooted here, is set to stream this October 17 on Lionsgate Play.
Directed by Sandhya Suri and produced by Good Chaos, Cinefrance Studios, and MetFilm Production, Santosh stars Shahana Goswami in a blistering lead role, alongside Sunita Rajwar (Panchayat) as Inspector Geeta Sharma. What begins as the story of a widow stepping into her late husband’s police uniform soon unravels into a searing investigation that exposes not only a brutal crime but the fault lines of caste, gender, and power in rural India.
What is Santosh all about?
The film follows Santosh, a young widow who inherits her late husband’s police position through compassionate appointment. What begins as a symbolic placement quickly turns into a reckoning when she is assigned to the investigation of a Dalit teenager’s rape and murder. Partnered with Inspector Sharma, Santosh is forced to navigate a landscape where evidence is buried under prejudice, power shields perpetrators, and the law bends in the direction of those who write it. With its layered writing and lived-in performances, the film turns every silence, every hesitation, into a question about whose voices matter, and whose are erased.
What Shahana Goswami said
Talking about Santosh, Shahana Goswami said, “Santosh is a film that is very close to my heart. A beautifully written story, depicted truthfully, holding up a mirror to us of the world we live in, that we have all helped create. Sandhya Suri, the writer and director, has crafted something so meaningful and touching.”
She added, “The film has been shown all over the world, starting its journey at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, and has been greatly appreciated by critics and the public alike. All the actors in Santosh are brilliant, but I will especially speak of Sunita Rajwar, who has done an excellent job playing a very complex character. It was a joy working with her and watching her become Geeta Sharma. You will see her in a completely new avatar. I cannot wait for everyone in India to finally be able to watch the film.”
The endless troubles due to CBFC
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) stalled the release of _Santosh_, UK’s official entry for the Oscars. The board asked for multiple changes due to the theme and depiction of violence and police force.
What Shahana Goswami said
Goswami told India Today, “The censor has given a list of changes they require for the film to release and we as a team are not in agreement with the cuts as they would change the film too much, and so it is in a deadlock where it probably won’t release theatrically in India.”
The CBFC also stalled the release of the film in India due to its portrayal of Islamophobia, misogyny, and violence within the country’s police force.
The director breaks silence
Writer and director Sandhya Suri said, “I was surprised because these are not issues that are new to Indian cinema or weren’t raised before.
Social media reacts
One said, ‘This govt is slowly making our country from democratic to dictatorship..sooner we all realise this better will be for this country .. communalism is on high rise and anti this anti that sentiments r high .. rupee is all time low.. so are employment opportunities.. freedom of speech is also getting curbed.’
Another wrote- ‘People are so afraid to look in the mirror.’ A third comment read- ‘Santhosh is now renamed to Khamosh!’
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