Today was supposed to be the day Santosh finally reached Indian audiences. After months of anticipation, the film was set to stream on Lionsgate Play on October 17. But when fans logged in this morning, the movie was nowhere to be found. The release had been quietly pulled at the last minute, and once again, censorship seems to be the reason.
Directed by Sandhya Suri and starring Shahana Goswami, Santosh follows a young widow who steps into her late husband’s police job and finds herself caught in a case that exposes caste, gender, and power inequalities. The story is raw and uncomfortable, but that’s exactly what makes it powerful. It had already faced trouble earlier this year when India’s film board refused to clear it for theaters, asking for cuts that the director refused to make.
What’s painful is that streaming platforms are not bound by those same rules, yet the film’s digital release has still been stopped. For a movie that premiered at Cannes and went on to become the UK’s official entry for the Oscars, this silence feels unjust.
For many who were waiting to watch it today, the absence of Santosh is more than a scheduling delay. It’s a reminder of how strong censorship remains, even in 2025.