Veteran documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan on Monday accused YouTube of censorship after his National Award-winning film Father, Son and Holy War was removed from the platform for allegedly being “too violent”.
Patwardhan criticised the move, saying the documentary exposes violence rather than promotes it.
“Father, Son and Holy War is my 1995 film which got a U/A censor certificate, two national awards and the Supreme Court of India ordered Doordarshan to screen it at prime time in the public interest. Yet now, 30 years later, YouTube has decided that it is too ‘violent’,” Patwardhan wrote on social media.
Calling the action unfair, he added, “It is a documentary that records the violence caused by religious fanatics and politicians vying for power. It is an expose of violence, not an endorsement of it. Shame on YouTube. Remove the censors, not good sense.”
Film Explores Religion, Masculinity and Violence
Released in 1995, Father, Son and Holy War explores the connection between religious extremism, masculinity, and communal violence in India. The documentary examines how misogyny and religious rhetoric are used to justify violence by both Hindu and Muslim leaders.
The film was completed over seven years and released in two parts. It won two National Film Awards in 1995 for Best Investigative Documentary and Best Film on Social Issues. It also received the International Jury Prize at the Bombay International Film Festival in 1996.
Although the documentary has been removed from Patwardhan’s official YouTube channel, it is still available on another channel.
Long Legal Battle Over Broadcast
This is not the first time Father, Son and Holy War has faced restrictions.
In 2001, public broadcaster Doordarshan refused to air the documentary, leading Patwardhan to challenge the decision in court. The Bombay High Court ruled in his favour, but the broadcaster later approached the Supreme Court.
In 2006, the Supreme Court directed Doordarshan to telecast the film, reportedly calling the refusal “highly irrational” and a violation of freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Previous Restrictions on Patwardhan’s Films
Patwardhan said this is not the first time his documentaries have faced hurdles on YouTube.
In 2019, the platform imposed an age restriction on his 1992 documentary Ram Ke Naam, despite it having a U certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film examines the campaign by Hindutva groups to build a Ram temple at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
At the time, Patwardhan criticised the decision and alleged that secular content was being unfairly restricted.
His 2011 documentary Jai Bhim Comrade, which focuses on the lives of Dalits in Mumbai and the 1997 Ramabai Nagar police firing, was also reportedly restricted on the platform.
The latest controversy has once again raised questions around content moderation, digital censorship, and the treatment of documentary films dealing with political and social issues on online platforms.
