No villainous Indians please, we're Indian

It was bound to happen. A movie depicting an Indian policewoman having to navigate misogyny and Islamophobia in the Indian police force has been deemed unsuitable for viewing in India. Why? Because it depicts Indian police in a bad light. And it's not even for just domestic/desi consumption like Ardh Satya, Gangaajal, Dabangg or A Wednesday that shows bent coppers. Santosh is a British film - 'What's a British film showing Indian police like this, eh?!' - that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to boot.

So, what next? A foreign film depicting shady Indian businessmen? Naturally, all Indian CEOs will take offence. An SF flick features a mad Indian scientist accidentally unleashing mutant sloths upon humanity? Cue protests from the Indian scientist community, demanding respect. Villains in foreign films can no longer be Indian lawyers (shady courtroom dramas), Indian journalists (scandal-ridden exposes), or Indian teachers ('mean principal' cliches). In this sanitised world, foreign filmmakers can only have Indian villains as... um, unemployed Indians. But wait - wouldn't that offend Indians for showcasing the country's unemployed? (Does India really have unemployed people?) Best to have wholesome tales of Indians making daisy chains together, doing good, fighting (foreign) evil of the bad old Mogambo, Kancha Cheena and Shakaal kind.