Why Is This Harmless-Looking Bollywood Movie Triggering a Huge Free Speech Debate in India?

On Tuesday, Pahlaj Nihalani was appointed India's Censor Board chief after his predecessor, Leela Samson resigned, citing "interference, coercion, and corruption." The cause: The Film Certification Appellate Tribunal had overruled her decision to keep the movie MSG: The Messenger of God, out of theaters.

MSG: The Messenger of God is a terrible name for a movie that isn't about Moses delivering cheap Chinese food (producers, call me), but the actual issue is that the goofball protagonist of the film is a thinly veiled stand-in for the actor playing him. That actor is the so-called "Guru in Bling," or Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the leader of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), an enormous and shadowy spiritual organization that says it's the"confluence of all religions," and has been embroiled in endless controversies for (among other things) allegedly stockpiling illegal guns and castrating hundreds of its members.

But none of that is readily obvious in the innocuous trailer for the film. It features a "Guru in Bling" of its own—who resembles a cross between comedian Matt Berry and Macho Man Randy Savage—being attacked by gangsters, and dispatching them with crazy motorcycle antics and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon–style martial arts moves. In other words, it looks incredible.

But the film is really an overt messianic parable. It portrays its guru protagonist as the literal messenger of god who has nearly accomplished his goal: saving us all from the terrors of drugs, prostitution, and other social problems. His foes are the forces that use such vices to enslave humanity, and after he defeats them, according to the film's site, he becomes the " saint who changed the world." Naturally, the lessons conveyed over the course of the film are the exact same messages the DSS is trying to spread.

The 67-year-old group claims it has 50 million members around the globe—which seems to be a somewhat outlandish number, but its gatherings occasionally include more than 100,000 people. The DSS website describes it as a "social welfare and spiritual organization that preaches and practices humanitarianism and selfless services to others." The site focuses on the good works done by the organization: blood drives, drug rehabilitation, the promotion of vegetarianism, and even support for transgender people.

The group's particular brand of support for trans people, specifically eunuchs, which it calls "the third gender," is one major source of controversy. Earlier this month Gurmeet Ram Rahim was investigated by the CBI, India's national law enforcement agency for allegedly telling adherents that "only those who get castrated will be able to meet god," after which 400 attendees had their testicles carved off. But it gets darker.

The DSS's movie star leader is the suspect in two killings. He's been accused of rape by a female follower, and there's an ongoing investigation into the 2001 murder of Ram Chander Chatrapati, a journalist attempting to write an exposé on the leader, and the 2002 death of sect manager Ranjit Singh. And then there's what Daily Mail India calls the "private armies of the godmen"—the DSS's militia, which is supposedly 8,000 men strong and has huge stockpiles of guns.

So with that in mind, it makes sense that parts of northern India have seen protests being staged around screenings of MSG. The group that organized one demonstration, the Indian National Students' Organisation (INSO), issued a statement saying that the "intention behind making the film was to convert the black money stacked by Ram Rahim into white."

MSG was meant to premiere on January 16, but that screening was canceled by the local government due to the continued controversy. The film remains banned throughout Punjab, the Indian state with the highest proportion of Sikhs, who have clashed with Gurmeet Ram Rahim over a controversial photo in 2007 that they believe mocked their customs. Still the screenings of the film will be allowed as soon as the film is distributed, although there will be a disclaimer added to the beginning and the end and a single word has been censored.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim has claimed that "the only aim of the film is to spread messages against social evils like drug addiction, [and] female feticide. There is nothing wrong in it." The basis for the film's ban does appear odd by free speech–centric American standards. One unnamed censor who opposed the film told the media, "The godman has showed himself as god and the film looks [like] more of an advertisement. Besides, some scenes show miracles taking place which are not substantiated by logic." Another said MSG "may cause [a] law and order problem. Also the film… promotes superstition and blind faith."

Indian film critics seem glad the film has been given a release, and have harsh words for the "law and order" argument the censors had made, citing the same board's decision to certify the controversial blockbuster film PK, currently the highest grossing Indian film of all time. That film satirizes a number of religions, although it drew controversy mostly from Hindus. Still, the censors' point doesn't seem to be just that MSG has opinions on religion, but that it proselytizes for one religion—and a weird, controversial religion at that.

A blogger named J. Hurtado wrote that the attempts to stop the film from being released were similar to the attempts to block The Interview from being seen. He wrote that the film's release struck him as a victory for free speech, but added, "I can't help thinking what the reaction would be if, say, David Koresh made a movie with a Hollywood budget and marketed it to mainstream audiences."

David Koresh may not have made a film, but an L. Ron Hubbard book was adapted into the 2000 film Battlefield Earth, a science-fiction action film starring John Travolta and not-so-secretly meant to deliver Scientologist philosophy to its viewers. (It has since become known as one of the worst movies of all time.)

On Twitter, MSG supporters have invoked Charlie Hebdo, creating graphics featuring Gurmeet Ram Rahim next to the slogan "Je Suis MSG." Others have just waved away the whole issue, suggesting that it may as well be released since Bollywood heroes have had magical powers since time immemorial. It's unclear what sort of impact the movie will end up having, or even if it will see a countrywide release, but with a petition being filed to have it banned in the states of Punjab and Haryana, it's obvious that the battle is far from over.

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