DCU film Superman is censored in India, where a "sensual visual" of the superhero kissing Lois Lane was cut in order to secure a release.
Superman’s mid-air kiss with Lois Lane, shown during pre-release trailers, was one of two kissing scenes cut for the Indian theatrical release, according to a report by Bollywood Hungama.
According to the report, this 33-second long “sensual visual,” spread across two scenes, was cut in order to secure a U/A 13+ certificate by the country’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow:
Superman’s mid-air kiss with Lois Lane occurs at the end of the movie as part of the celebratory roundup of events. Both characters are in a months-long relationship at this point.
Meanwhile, Bollywood Hungama reported that the CBFC asked the studio to delete an eight-second shot involving a “foul gesture.” It was replaced by a two-second shot. The shot was not detailed, but we can speculate that it was the scene in which Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) swats away the armed forces of Boravia with a wave of his Green Lantern hand, which at times gives the invading army the finger.
This isn’t the first time a movie was changed to appease the Indian authorities. In F1, Brad Pitt’s character does a fist bump in the Indian version instead of sending a middle finger to another character. Marvel muted five words in Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers, and two words were cut from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
As you’d expect, the changes to Superman have sparked a backlash across social media. Here's a snippet of the reaction:
CBFC deletes 33-second-long ‘sensual visual’ in Superman.
— Madhu Menon (@madmanweb) July 10, 2025
FFS, it's a PG-13 rated SUPERMAN movie! This country sucks. https://t.co/WAw4upcaZF
CBFC would allow horrific scenes of violence and sexual assault in a U certified film that kids are freely allowed to watch, but won't allow consensual kissing in a U/A comic book movie that kids should watch under adult supervision.
— Pranav Gangadharan (@pranavgngadhrn) July 11, 2025
You can have lewd double meaning jokes in Housefull 5.
— ANMOL JAMWAL (@jammypants4) July 11, 2025
Beheadings & gory violence in Jaat
But….
Superman kissing Lois Lane is where we draw the line
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
If this is true, this is RIDICULOUS!!! Some ridiculous crap happens every day. Every. Damn. Day.
— Shreya Dhanwanthary (@shreyadhan13) July 11, 2025
Sure this is the least of our worries but is something done about anything else? There is some crap every day. Every. Damn. Day. https://t.co/Kwg7fKSe0M
In the U.S., Superman got the DCU off to a flyer with a global weekend take of $217 million at the box office. Its $122 million domestic haul was enough to make it the biggest North American launch ever for a solo Superman film, not adjusted for inflation.
Check out IGN’s Superman review to find out what we think, and then head over to our Superman Ending and Post-Credits Explained to find out what it all means.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/supermans-mid-air-kiss-with-lois-lane-sets-tongues-wagging-in-india-after-censorship-sparks-online-backlash