Bhakta Vidhur (1921): The First Movie That Was Banned In India Because The Main Character Resembled Mahatma Gandhi. Britishers showed their ‘loyality’ towards Gandhi
The first film in Indian Film ever to face a ban is 'Bhakta Vidur' in 1921. When the film was first shown to the heads of administration, they quickly picked that the actor playing the character of Vidur in it has appeared exactly like Mahatma Gandhi.
In this film, Vidur was played by actor Dwarka Das Nana Das Sampat and he also wore the same clothes as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The government believed that these films could create resentment among people. So the censor board banned the film saying "We know what you are doing. It is not Vidur. We cannot allow it to be released."
The film was made just after the strict “Rowlatt Act” was taken into action by the Britishers. This act legally a d morally allowed the British to arrest Indians without a trial.
A a result, the makers and characters of the film were arrested and were temporary banned for making or acting in films. The film was never shown in India on a large scale, but you could see many theatre acts all over India, ofcourse, after many modifications.