The theatrical release of folk horror film Bokshi, starring Prasanna Bisht, has been postponed to December 4, 2026, after the Central Board of Film Certification flagged its depiction of witchcraft and gruesome violence, according to Bollywood Hungama. The film was originally scheduled to arrive in cinemas on October 9.
Directed by Bhargav Saikia and written by Harsh Vaibhav, Bokshi is a dark coming-of-age psychological thriller set against the dense forests of Sikkim. It follows Anahita, a teenager played by Bisht who is traumatised by the mysterious disappearance of her mother. She finds comfort in her history teacher Shalini, played by Mansi Multani, but during a school excursion to a remote prehistoric site in North Sikkim, an ancient legend awakens and forces Anahita to confront a terrifying destiny linked to her family's cursed lineage, witchcraft and mysterious rituals.
A festival-feted indie
The film premiered at the 54th International Film Festival of Rotterdam and has drawn attention for its unusual multilingual texture — it features Hindi, English and Nepali, alongside Boksirit, a fictional language created specially for the film by Dutch linguist Jan van Steenbergen. The cast also includes Siddharth Shaw and Dagi Ngomdir, with Shernaz Patel lending her voice to the title role.
Crowded horror season
Bokshi had been positioned as one of only two Hindi theatrical releases this week, alongside Parineeti Chopra's investigative thriller Reporting Live, which arrives on Netflix. With the delay, the film now heads to a December 4 slot, giving the makers time to address the censor board's concerns before facing audiences.
Sources: Wikipedia (citing Bollywood Hungama) | Pinkvilla | FilmiBeat
Directed by Bhargav Saikia and written by Harsh Vaibhav, Bokshi is a dark coming-of-age psychological thriller set against the dense forests of Sikkim. It follows Anahita, a teenager played by Bisht who is traumatised by the mysterious disappearance of her mother. She finds comfort in her history teacher Shalini, played by Mansi Multani, but during a school excursion to a remote prehistoric site in North Sikkim, an ancient legend awakens and forces Anahita to confront a terrifying destiny linked to her family's cursed lineage, witchcraft and mysterious rituals.
A festival-feted indie
The film premiered at the 54th International Film Festival of Rotterdam and has drawn attention for its unusual multilingual texture — it features Hindi, English and Nepali, alongside Boksirit, a fictional language created specially for the film by Dutch linguist Jan van Steenbergen. The cast also includes Siddharth Shaw and Dagi Ngomdir, with Shernaz Patel lending her voice to the title role.
Crowded horror season
Bokshi had been positioned as one of only two Hindi theatrical releases this week, alongside Parineeti Chopra's investigative thriller Reporting Live, which arrives on Netflix. With the delay, the film now heads to a December 4 slot, giving the makers time to address the censor board's concerns before facing audiences.
Sources: Wikipedia (citing Bollywood Hungama) | Pinkvilla | FilmiBeat