CBFC's Double Standards Exposed: 'Housefull 5' Gets U/A, 'OMG 2' Slapped With A

In a move that has reignited debate around the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Housefull 5 — a comedy film laden with sexual innuendo, objectification of women, and crass humour — has received a U/A certificate, allowing it to be viewed by children under parental guidance. In stark contrast, Oh My God 2 (OMG 2), a socially driven film meant to educate teenagers about sex and adolescent health, was handed an ‘A’ certificate, restricting it from reaching the very audience it intended to benefit.

"In an age where cinema holds immense power to influence culture and shape young minds, the double standards of the Indian censor board are not just baffling — they are dangerous."

The certification granted to Housefull 5, the latest instalment in a franchise known for its slapstick vulgarity and regressive comedy, has raised serious questions about the CBFC’s criteria for evaluating content. Many are calling it a symptom of deeper societal hypocrisy around sex, morality, and censorship.

"Take Housefull 5, the latest instalment of a franchise that has long thrived on adult comedy, double entendre, objectification of women and slapstick vulgarity has been given a U/A certificate, green-lighting it for ‘family viewing’ with parental guidance. In sharp contrast, Oh My God 2, a film designed to educate teenagers on sex education and adolescent health was slapped with an ‘A’ certificate, making it inaccessible to the very audience it aimed to enlighten."

A first-hand account of a screening at a local multiplex highlighted this contradiction vividly. "I witnessed this contradiction firsthand at the screening of Housefull 5 at a multiplex packed with over a hundred people. The audience was a full house of families–from toddlers to seniors, all drawn in by the promise of a ‘family entertainer’ as implied by the U/A certificate."

As the lights dimmed and the film began, unease replaced anticipation. "But the moment the film began, a sense of unease settled in."

The plot follows the death of billionaire Ranjeet Dobriyal, portrayed by Ranjeet, just before his 100th birthday party on a cruise. The introduction of characters like those played by Shreyas Talpade, Dino Morea, and Chitrangada Singh quickly sets the tone. "The discomfort starts early: a female lawyer (played by Soundarya Sharma), enters in a highly sexualised manner with Ranjeet’s will, sits provocatively, and becomes the target of a crass joke where the character of Shreyas Talpade uses rolled-up paper as binoculars as she crosses her legs. Some chuckled, others looked on, squirming in their seats."

That discomfort only escalates. "In one scene, Soundarya’s cleavage is emphasised through two clumsy paper-dropping incidents, drawing the gaze of camera and male characters. One might expect grown adults to roll their eyes at such dated attempts at humour. But when a child, barely 10, sitting near me laughed at the scene, the real problem is obvious — what were they laughing at and what were they learning?"

The narrative continues with crude jokes and innuendo as Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, and Abhishek Bachchan try to identify the heir to Ranjeet’s fortune. "What follows is a slew of jokes centred around skin show, sexual positions, and degrading female characters. Especially when Akshay Kumar asks Nargis Fakhri to show off her body to prove she is a ‘foreigner’ woman."

"Phrases like ‘69’ and visual gags of women being inappropriately touched in the dark pass off as punchlines. The curiosity these scenes brought in children’s eyes wasn’t comic–it was loaded with questions no parent had prepared to answer. And who could blame them? The CBFC told them this was ‘safe’ to watch — that this was ‘family-friendly entertainment.’"

Meanwhile, OMG 2, a 2023 film featuring Akshay Kumar in a divine avatar, treated topics like masturbation and puberty with care and sincerity — only to be stifled by the board. "But so was not the fate of Oh My God 2, a film that dared to do what our education system often avoids. With Akshay Kumar in a divine avatar, the 2023 film approached topics like masturbation and puberty not with vulgarity, but with empathy and clarity. It was not flawless but a sincere effort to destigmatise topics that are often hushed in Indian homes and classrooms."

However, CBFC’s issues lay elsewhere. "Rather than focusing on the content and its purpose, censor board was busy taking issue with Akshay Kumar originally playing Lord Shiva in OMG 2, forcing the makers to recast him as ‘Shiv ka Das’ to avoid offending religious sentiments. However, it didn’t find an issue with the way women were objectified, crass dialogues and voyeurism in Housefull 5–and labelled it U/A."

Critics argue that this inconsistency reflects not only a flawed institutional approach but also a societal one. "The most sobering reality is not just the system–it’s us, the audience. Housefull 5, despite its regressive humour and objectification of women, is racing ahead at the box office. Tickets are selling out, laughter echoes in packed theatres, and it is being labelled as ‘mass entertainer.’"

The issue, perhaps, lies deeper than the CBFC’s inconsistent guidelines. "We are the same people who laugh at sexist jokes in movies like Housefull 5 or watch it with our children in theatres but often be the first one to raise moral alarms when a web series depicts nudity, intimacy, or profanity–even when done in context. The double standards of the censor board only reflect the double standard of our society."

As cinema continues to shape opinions, influence behaviour, and reflect cultural norms, the urgency to reform how content is evaluated — not just by boards, but by audiences — has never been greater.