In Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Dibakar Banerjee crafted a digital world where characters resorted to desperate measures to navigate their struggles. His characters ordinary people burdened by the obligations of daily life used self-operated cameras to document their realities. These shaky, hazy, and sometimes chaotic recordings provided an unfiltered view into their souls, while Banerjee himself chose to tell their stories without overt cinematic interventions.
This unique approach became both the film’s strength and its challenge. Banerjee's vision was so closely aligned with how the characters saw themselves that some viewers found the film to be overly self-indulgent. The absence of traditional cinematic storytelling made it feel like an unfiltered home video, where the relevance of each character depended solely on the audience’s ability to relate to them.
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Censorship Hurdles
The film, known for its bold themes and raw storytelling, faced resistance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Banerjee revealed, “We had submitted a DVD of the film to the censor board so they could recommend cuts in advance and avoid delays. The censor preview recommendation suggested that we blur the sex scene. We were told this scene was too graphic and needed tempering.”
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He shared, “There was no way the censor board could allow the love-making scene. We were clearly told even before submitting the film for certification. But I have always been against the film being perceived as a voyeur’s delight. Love Sex Aur Dhokha is not about sex, sex, and sex.”
The film, known for its bold themes and raw storytelling, faced resistance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Banerjee revealed, “We had submitted a DVD of the film to the censor board so they could recommend cuts in advance and avoid delays. The censor preview recommendation suggested that we blur the sex scene. We were told this scene was too graphic and needed tempering.”
He shared, “There was no way the censor board could allow the love-making scene. We were clearly told even before submitting the film for certification. But I have always been against the film being perceived as a voyeur’s delight. Love Sex Aur Dhokha is not about sex, sex, and sex.”
Creative Vision Altered
Another major censorship decision left the filmmaker disappointed. A reference to caste in the love story between a lower-caste boy and an upper-caste girl was removed by the board, fundamentally altering the narrative. Banerjee opened up, “This completely changes the perspective of my story, as now the caste-challenged love story is turned into a poor-boy-rich-girl romance. This is not what I intended.”
Despite the challenges, Love Sex Aur Dhokha remains a landmark film in Indian cinema, continuing to spark discussions about storytelling, censorship, and the digital era’s impact on filmmaking.