A Certification Anomaly: The Self-Sacrificial Female Body in Bombay Cinema

Released in 1989 after a long court battle, Pati Parmeshwar/My Husband, My God is an anomaly in the history of Indian censorship because the debates in which it was enmeshed sought to define what kinds of cinematic representations constituted woman's servility. For decades, committees constituted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had consistently overlooked such representations and focused on censoring sexually explicit images such as closeups of women's bosoms, thighs and gyrating hips. However, in the case of Pati Parmeshwar, the CBFC banned a film which employed a ubiquitous Hindi film trope, namely, the self-sacrificial wife. This article examines this anomalous act and its subsequent consequences, revealing competing visions of the Indian state. These visions underscore that the state is not a monolithic entity.