The Voice of Hind Rajab, an Oscar-nominated film feted worldwide, has reportedly been blocked from release in India. A new report quotes the Indian distributor of the film saying that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has refused to certify the film over fears that it may harm India’s relationship with Israel. The Voice of Hind Rajab is the story of a 6-year-old girl who gets trapped in a car in war-torn Gaza.
The Voice of Hind Rajab India release blocked?
Variety reported that Kaouther Ben Hania’s film, which was supposed to be released in India this month, is now blocked from releasing in the country. Distributor Manoj Nandwana, who was getting the film to India, told the publication that the CBFC refused to certify the film. Nandwana said that a CBFC member told him, “If it gets released, it would break up the India-Israel relationship.”
The distributor added, “I told them: the India-Israel relationship is so strong that it’s idiotic to think this movie will break it. The Voice of Hind Rajab has been released in the U.S., U.K., Italy, France and many other countries that have a relationship with Israel. But they want to censor it anyway.”
What is The Voice of Hind Rajab about?
A docudrama, the film follows members of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society as they try to reach 6-year-old Hind Rajab, who was caught in a vehicle in Gaza while under fire from the Israel Defence Forces. Based on a true story about the killing of Hind Rajab, the film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and six other parallel prizes. The film, starring Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Amer Hlehel, and Clara Khoury, was released theatrically in November 2025.
Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl, was killed by the Israeli security forces during skirmishes in the Gaza Strip in January 2024. The forces also allegedly killed six of her family members and two paramedics coming to her rescue. The incident had caused an international uproar over human rights abuses in the Gaza conflict.
The film was nominated for the Best Non-English Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards this year, as well as for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. It lost to The Secret Agent in the former and to Sentimental Value in the latter.