10 Times CBFC Cut Hollywood Kisses Before Spider-Man

The Central Board of Film Certification in India has never been a fan of on-screen lip-locks, especially when it comes to Hollywood imports. So when word broke that Spider-Man: Brand New Day would be losing a kissing scene to the CBFC’s scissors, no one was particularly shocked. It’s practically a rite of passage for big-budget Western films hitting Indian theaters. Before we get to how the web-slinger’s latest adventure got trimmed, let’s revisit ten other times the board decided that a little PDA was a little too much.

From steamy thrillers to superhero blockbusters, here’s a nostalgic look at the cuts that came before.

The Matrix Reloaded turned hallway romance into a fade-to-black moment

When Neo and Trinity finally shared a kiss in the elevator of the Merovingian’s lair, Indian audiences never saw it. The CBFC snipped the moment, arguing that the lip-lock was too passionate for a film already packed with violence. Fans who watched the DVD were treated to the full scene, but in theaters, the elevator doors just closed on a hug. It became one of the most famous cuts of the early 2000s.

The Dark Knight Rises left Bane without a kiss, but not without controversy

The climactic resolution between Batman and Catwoman during the bomb sequence originally included a kiss. In India, that kiss vanished. The CBFC reasoned that the scene, set against a ticking clock, didn’t need the romantic beat. Local comic fans still grumble about it, especially since the film already had minimal romance.

Spectre gave James Bond a rejected smooch

The 2015 Bond film featured a kiss between 007 and Madeleine Swann while they drove through the Moroccan desert. Indian censors cut it, claiming it was gratuitous. Never mind that Bond films have been infamous for such moments for decades. The cut was so minor that many viewers didn’t even notice, but it reinforced the board’s reputation for prudishness.

Deadpool’s Valentine’s Day kiss went missing

The Merc with a Mouth’s first solo outing already had a choppy ride with the CBFC. The hot-tub scene with Vanessa was slashed, but the kiss during the Christmas montage also didn’t make the cut. Wade and Vanessa’s playful peck was deemed too intimate for a film that already had gallons of blood and crude jokes. Go figure.

50 Shades of Grey had every kiss scrutinized

The erotic drama was a nightmare for the CBFC. The board demanded multiple cuts to avoid an Adults Only rating - one of them being the kiss on the balcony after the infamous contract negotiation. The scene was reduced to a quick embrace, robbing viewers of any emotional payoff.

Basic Instinct’s classic kiss scene was a non-starter

When the Sharon Stone thriller was released in India in the 1990s, the CBFC didn’t just trim - they outright banned several sequences. The famous interrogation kiss between Stone and Michael Douglas was cut to a bare minimum. The board considered it too sexually suggestive for Indian screens at the time, even though the film was already heavily edited.

The Wolf of Wall Street’s party smooch got the axe

Martin Scorsese’s coke-fueled epic featured a brief kiss between Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie during a yacht scene. The CBFC snipped it, along with numerous other sex scenes. The kiss was hardly the wildest part of the movie, but the board’s approach was zero-tolerance: any visible lip-lock had to go.

Brokeback Mountain lost its emotional hug turned kiss

Ang Lee’s landmark romance originally showed Ennis and Jack sharing a kiss after their reunion in the mountains. The CBFC cut it, claiming it would “offend local sensibilities.” In Indian theaters, the kiss was replaced with a long, awkward shot of the two cowboys staring at each other. The cut sparked debate about censorship of same-sex intimacy, but the board stood firm.

Call Me by Your Name had its peach scene trimmed, but also the kiss

The coming-of-age story set in Italy had a tender kiss between Elio and Oliver by the river. The CBFC sliced it, arguing that the scene - though brief - was “unsuitable for general audiences.” The cut was so subtle that many viewers thought the film just had weird editing. Actually, it was just the board’s scissors at work again.

La La Land’s Griffith Observatory kiss was almost missing

Damien Chazelle’s musical romance included a dreamy kiss between Mia and Sebastian under the stars. The CBFC initially demanded a cut, claiming the kiss was “unnecessary” for the story. After pressure from the distributor, the board relented and allowed the scene with a U/A rating. But it remains one of the rare times a kissing cut was reversed - usually, once it’s gone, it’s gone.

So when Spider-Man: Brand New Day joins this illustrious list, we can only shrug. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will still save the day, but his romantic payoff? That may just end up on the cutting-room floor, alongside Neo, Bond, and every other Hollywood lover who dared to pucker up for Indian audiences.

Source: News18