Curry Barker’s highly anticipated horror film Obsession finally hit Indian theatres on May 29. However, horror enthusiasts eager to watch the movie were stunned to learn that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had ordered the removal of 38 seconds of crucial footage. This decision came even though the film, the highest-rated horror title on Rotten Tomatoes in 2026, had already received an A certificate from the board. The alterations to the Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette starrer left internet users displeased.
List of modifications and cuts to Obsession by the CBFC
The CBFC certificate for Obsession indicates that the film’s duration is about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The record of insertions, deletions, and alterations notes that anti-smoking and anti-tobacco health spots were added, and anti-liquor and anti-smoking warnings were imposed on certain scenes.The most significant alterations to the film involved cutting 24 seconds of ‘extreme violence’ and entirely removing 14 seconds of ‘graphic sexual activity’, resulting in a total of 38 seconds of key footage being excised. An additional visual containing nudity was also removed from Obsession. Following these modifications, the film received clearance for release from the CBFC.
Internet miffed with changes by the CBFC
Viewers who had been eager to see Obsession in cinemas were left disappointed by the CBFC’s alterations. “The Censor Board sucks @CBFC_India. Just watched Obsession at Cinepolis in Kerala. Because of substantial cuts to violent scenes and a sex scene (and this is for an A-rated film!), a significant portion of the storyline was lost,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).Another irritated X user commented, “What is wrong with the CBFC? They have cut 38 seconds of footage from Obsession and still given it an ‘A’ certificate. What is the point of an ‘A’ rating if scenes are going to be trimmed and muted anyway? First it was Superman, then the Dhurandhar franchise, and now Obsession. The CBFC seems to think adults are too immature to watch horror in a packed theatre. This is excessive interference.”
“I’ve stopped going to theatres and cancelled my OTT subscriptions for exactly this reason,” one Instagram user complained, while another asked, “So there are things even adults aren’t allowed to watch? Then who is considered eligible to see these scenes aliens?” Many also noted that the removed scenes were central to the film and had been heavily discussed after its US release. “They censored the entire point of the movie?” another Instagram user remarked.