An emergency press conference was held at Mandala Theatre, Thapagaun on Friday, to protest the actions of the censor board. The discussions at the conference revolved around the board’s restrictions on Deepak Rauniyar’s film ‘Rajagunj’.

The board raised concerns about including a clip from a 2015 speech by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, where he compared parties exiting the Constituent Assembly to “mangoes falling from a tree.”

Rauniyar had said that cutting or editing that scene would dilute the film’s essence. After much hiatus, the board finally cleared the movie for release. Rauniyar told Onlinekhabar that the removed scenes would not be replaced with new visuals or dialogues; instead, blank spaces or beeps would be used.

In light of this, prominent filmmakers, including Ram Babu Gurung, Sujit Bidari, Nabin Subba, Rauniyar, Prachanda Man Shrestha, Nischal Basnet, Dipendra Lama, and Deepak Raj Giri, voiced their concerns over the board’s decisions, questioning its legitimacy and the limitations it imposes on creative freedom.

Giri shared his experience, stating that he was summoned to the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Film Development Board, where he was forcefully asked to cut two scenes. “I was alone, debating with more than 50 people. Initially, it was a demand, then framed as a request. I had to remove the dialogue,” he said. He criticised the censor board’s composition, pointing out that individuals with no knowledge of cinema were making decisions that hindered artistic expression. He also condemned the requirement to seek permission to dress a character in a police uniform, arguing that such restrictions make it impossible to depict corruption realistically.

Echoing Giri’s sentiment, filmmaker Ashok Sharma noted the lack of censorship during the democracy era and pointed out that censorship only began to intensify after the republic was established. Sharma questioned, “Why is censorship only imposed on films, whereas content on television, YouTube, and web series remains unchecked?”

Daya Hang Rai added to the discussion by citing an example from his films. He questioned whether mentioning a country like America should be censored or if place names should be replaced with generic terms, stripping films of their authenticity. “Should I say, ‘I’m going there tomorrow’ instead of ‘I’m going to India tomorrow’? This takes away the essence,” he remarked.

Subba suggested that a grading system should be enough, as seen in other nations. “This practice came from colonial and authoritarian regimes, yet we follow it under a republic,” he said. He further argued that such censorship damages Nepal’s international reputation, embarrassing filmmakers abroad.

Industry insiders expressed their readiness to challenge these restrictions in court, emphasising the need for industry-wide resistance against unjust censorship.