Freedom of speech, considered the fundamental freedom by most philosophical thinkers, consists of several aspects, including the right to express one's opinion unhindered, unrestricted by fear of retaliation. It is one of the fundamental elements of a healthy and open-minded democracy. It allows people to freely participate in the social and political events of their country. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The essence of free speech is the ability to think and speak freely and to gain education from others through their publications and public conversations without fear of retaliation, restriction, or repression from the government. It is through this freedom of speech that people come together to strengthen their own morality and to help others become moral and enlightened citizens and, if possible, gain political influence. This essence of freedom lies in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India which guarantees all its citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression. The law states that “all citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression.” According to Article 19(2), “reasonable restrictions may be imposed on the exercise of that right for certain purposes. No limitation on the exercise of the right referred to in Article 19, paragraph 1, letter a), which does not fall within the four corners of Article 19, paragraph 2, can be valid. Censorship and freedom of cinema Article 19, paragraph 2 of the Constitution provides that this right is not absolute and "reasonable restrictions" may be imposed on the exercise of this right for certain purposes. These purposes include transmitting content that concerns the defamation of various topics such as government, religion, culture, history, etc. which can lead to internal feuds or national instability. While this restriction may be considered reasonable, there are times when this situation is abused by others. One such example is film censorship. Filmmakers' rights have long faced this obstacle. There are many filmmakers who have not been able to release their films due to these restrictions and because of this they often face a lot of difficulties as these films are their bread and butter. Many films are banned or targeted in the name of maintaining law and order; respecting beliefs, feelings and traditions, but most are targeted for ulterior motives, especially political ones, which will be discussed later in this article. But there are some films that have been banned for legitimate reasons. One such film is The Da Vinci Code, based on the bestselling 2003 novel by author Dan Brown. It's a crime/mystery novel where Jesus Christ (his relationship with Mary Magdalene) and Christianity come together in it. Aside from some hiccups and dissensions, the film was nevertheless successfully released in the vast majority of Western Christian countries on May 18, 2006. Despite the fact that the novel has been on sale (both original and pirated copies) in India since its release, in many states of India there was a huge protest by Christian communities to ban the film from being shown in India due to the perceived anti-Christian message. Eventually, through special screenings for various Catholic leaders and even Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, the censor board finally gave the film an 'A' certification and cleared it. But the Council forced the distributor Sony.