Cinema VinesThe Shreyas Talpade and Kajal Aggarwal starrer courtroom drama The India Story is slated to hit screens on July 24, but the film only received its Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) clearance just two days earlier, on July 22. In a move that has drawn attention from both fans and critics, the CBFC demanded more than 20 cuts before granting a U/A 16+ certificate.
According to the board’s detailed cut list, the majority of the requested edits targeted dialogue. The film’s opening and closing segments were required to include a comprehensive disclaimer, adding roughly 50 seconds to the runtime. Several lines that referenced the farmer community were altered or removed; for instance, a line that originally stated farmers made up 65% of the population was trimmed to 25%, and the phrase “Kisaan aatankvadi” was reworked. The dialogue “Munh mein dande daal” was modified, while the line “Desh ke kisaan desh ke… Khila ke maar rahe hain” was cut entirely, shaving 20 seconds off the film.
Other edits involved content deemed offensive or inaccurate. The board asked for changes to remarks about the Endosulfan tragedy in Kerala, as well as a 40‑second segment at the start of the second half that referenced the pesticide. A 14‑second monologue about mothers’ milk containing heavy chemicals was removed, and an eight‑second exchange beginning with “Aapko jab licence” to “Naya Bharat hai” was also excised. Additionally, a 20‑second dialogue that began with “Apni RDX waali” was deleted, and a 20‑second line starting “Kisan doshi hai” was cut.
Perhaps the most substantial deletion was a 1 minute and 20 second dialogue that began with “Kisaan annadata hai,” which was removed from the post‑interval section. The board also requested modifications to the “visual of disgust” of a cancer train and the announcement dialogue for a train running from Bhatinda to Bikaner. The cumulative effect of these edits amounted to 4 minutes and 27 seconds of footage removed from the original cut.
The final certified length of The India Story is 130.13 minutes, or 2 hours, 10 minutes and 13 seconds. Despite the last‑minute changes, the film’s release schedule remains unchanged, with audiences expected to see the drama’s take on the pesticide farming crisis tomorrow. Fans of the genre can look forward to a hard‑hitting social commentary that, even with the CBFC’s edits, promises to deliver a powerful courtroom narrative.
