After Satluj, another film is in eye of a storm. Industry is seeking curbs on it

Before the raging controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj could subside, another film has landed in troubled waters. Satluj faced criticism for what many said was a "flawed depiction" of Punjab's turbulent years of Khalistani militancy. Now, Shreyas Talpade-Kajal Aggarwa Kitchlul-starrer, The India Story: Slow Poison in Progress, a courtroom drama on food safety and public health, is facing stiff opposition from India's agrochemical industry weeks before its July 24 release.

The New Delhi-based Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI), which says it "represents nearly 85% of the country's agrochemical sector", has written to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to scrutinise the film before certification. ACFI Director General Kalyan Goswami told India Today Digital that the film's teaser contains "misleading and unsubstantiated" claims about pesticides, food safety and Indian agriculture. Goswami said, "The federation is seeking a meeting with CBFC Chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati."

In Mumbai, a lawyer, Hiranya Pandey, representing Bhavesh Sodha of Agri Business Centre, served a legal notice on the filmmakers — Zee Studios and MIG Production & Studios LLP. The notice served in June sought disclosure of the scientific basis for the teaser's claims. "The filmmakers responded through their advocate on June 30", following which Pandey said he filed a rejoinder with the CBFC on July 9 seeking a personal hearing before certification. Pandey said his client would move the court if the film is released unchanged. "The trailer deploys the derogatory and defamatory label 'Mrityudata' (provider of death) for 'Annadata' (the sustainer and provider of food)," he said.

He claimed the filmmakers' reply "admitted" that certain teaser sequences were "symbolic dramatisation" and that they did not assert pesticides were the "sole cause" of cancer.

The teaser for The India Story: Slow Poison in Progress, in its teaser, showed several data points in caps in between slides of reports and snippets of food adulteration and use of chemicals in Indian farming. Calling them "India's most shocking truths", the teaser of the film, directed by Cheytan DK, claimed: "We grew poison, not food." The teaser featured text snippets saying that Indians were "fed over 50,000 metric tonnes of pesticides" which "exposed over 200,000,000 (20 crore) people". It also linked agricultural practices to "rising cancer cases", and questioned the safety of "milk and poultry", and described Indian food as "slow poison".

The film comes even as carcinogenic chemicals, which get Indian agricultural exports rejected in Europe, continue to be sprayed on Indian farms without checks, even though they are banned in markets of Europe and the Americas. Reporting the same last month, India Today Digital asked, why does the government allow these chemicals to find a place on Indian farms and then reach plates?

"As long as agrochemical companies filled their coffers with the corpses of farmers, all was well. But as soon as a film attempted to expose this multi-billion rupee business, the country's pesticide bosses were shocked," Om Prakash, the Editor of Kisan Tak, India Today Digital's sister portal, wrote in his piece on July 9.

"The India Story struck at the coffers of the pesticide syndicate, which makes profits of crores. The lobby was hit with discomfort... The industry, which claims to stand for farmers' welfare, turns a blind eye to awareness about the deadly risks of chemicals, but erupts in anger whenever someone tries to expose its alleged 'poison business'," he added.

Speaking to Pritinanda Behera, of India Today Digital, director Cheytan DK said that the film did not "target anyone". The film was "based on real facts and a real story" and stood by the claims presented in it, he said.

"Our point is simply that these chemicals should be used only to the extent necessary. If you overuse them and end up putting other people's health at risk, that's wrong," he said. Cheytan said the film grew out of a personal story after writer-producer Sagar B Shinde's "close friend" saw his six-year-old child diagnosed with cancer.

WHY THE INDIA STORY HAS SPARKED A ROW

Unlike Diljit's Satluj, whose controversy centred on its certification, misrepresentation, its almost-secret release, and its abrupt removal from OTT platform ZEE5, The India Story has found itself in a battle over its claims on public health and the portrayal of Indian agriculture even before its theatrical release. Written by Sagar B Shinde, The India Story: Slow Poison in Progress is scheduled to release in theatres on July 24.

The film's teaser claimed that Indians were being exposed to dangerous levels of pesticides through food, links chemical farming to rising cancer cases and describes food contamination as a national crisis.

The film's teaser features text snippets such as "India's most shocking truths", "We grew poison, not food", "Indians were fed over 50,000 metric tonnes of pesticides", "Over 200,000,000 (20 crore) people exposed", and "rising cancer cases". It also questioned the safety of "milk and poultry" and described Indian food as "slow poison".

The teaser further claimed that these factors were why "one in three families battle cancer", "one to two lives are lost every 60 seconds", and "10 lakh-plus deaths occur every year", before concluding, "This is the India Story".

These are the claims which have drawn objections from India's agrochemical industry.

But director Cheytan maintained that the film was "based on real facts and a real story". He said audiences would understand "how pesticides and chemicals should be used, and where the line should be drawn".

Bhavesh Sodha's lawyer claimed the filmmakers' reply "acknowledged" that some teaser elements were "symbolic dramatisation" rather than literal scientific demonstrations and clarified that they were not alleging pesticides were the "sole cause" of cancer. Pandey said that if the film is certified and released without the changes sought, his client would move court seeking an injunction and initiate civil and criminal proceedings.

The Director General of AFCI, Kalyan Goswami, however, said he was "not pursuing legal action at present".

Pandey described his client, Bhavesh Sodha, as an "MSc-qualified horticulturist" and proprietor of "a Vapi-based Agri Business Centre" engaged in licenced agro-input distribution, corporate fodder supply and botanical consulting. He said Sodha was seeking a legal route because he believed the film unfairly portrayed farmers and the agro-input sector.

WHY AGROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY IS OBJECTING TO THE INDIA STORY?

Appealing to the CBFC, ACFI alleged that the teaser presented India's agricultural system in an "alarmist, sensational manner" and appeared to establish direct links between modern farming practices and public health problems "without providing any apparent scientific substantiation".

"The teaser of the upcoming movie The India Story: Slow Poison in Progress presents India's agricultural and food systems in an alarmist, sensational manner and appears to draw direct causal links between modern agricultural practices and a range of public health and social issues, without providing any apparent scientific substantiation," ACFI Director General Kalyan Goswami said in a July 9 press release.

"It is appalling to see that the film's narrative is not only scientifically unfounded but damages India's agricultural reputation and threatens our farmers' livelihoods and national food security," he added.

Responding to the criticism, Cheytan said, "Those who want to criticise will criticise, and those who want to stop it will try to stop it." He reiterated that the film's intention was not to target anyone but to highlight responsible pesticide use.

The federation has asked the CBFC to ensure that any "misleading, exaggerated, unverified, or unsupported content" is addressed before the film is certified for public exhibition, Goswami told India Today Digital.

In one of its posts on X on July 10, Zee Studios described "Times of India" as the "source" for some of the data points shown in a promotional video accompanying the post.

THE NUMBERS THAT ADD ANOTHER LAYER TO THE CONTROVERSY

One of the biggest objections by the ACFI and Bhavesh Sodha of Agri Business Centre, relates to figures shown in the teaser. It suggests that Indians are being "fed" over 50,000 metric tonnes of pesticides every year.

Speaking to India Today Digital, the ACFI's Goswami said, "The numbers like 50,000 metric tons of pesticide are being fed to Indian citizens in incorrect. When in reality, 50,000 metric tons is the number that India is importing, which we are using on the farms... This is not the number that is being fed to the citizens directly."

Citing FAO data, the ACFI in its letter to the CBFC noted that India's annual pesticide use was roughly 40,000 metric tonnes.

However, according to a Lok Sabha reply by the Ministry of Agriculture in December 2022, India's total chemical pesticide consumption was 58,720 metric tonnes (technical grade) in 2021-22. The figure has fluctuated between 59,669 and 63,406 metric tonnes over the previous four years, revealed the ministry's data.

More recent data from the website of the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (under the Ministry of Agriculture) shows India's total chemical pesticide consumption stood at 67,826.82 metric tonnes in 2024-25. The figure was 67,964.97 metric tonnes in 2023-24.

Government of India data presents higher estimates.

The actual dispute, however, appears to be over the trailer's suggestion that these pesticides are being "fed" to Indians.

ACFI also cited government-supported studies by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), saying more than 96.5% of tested chemical fertilisers complied with prescribed pesticide residue limits. It also referred to WHO assessments on cancer risk factors and NCRB data on accidental pesticide poisoning to argue that the teaser presents mortality and cancer figures without adequate scientific context.

"The broader debate over pesticides remains far from settled. Several pesticides are still permitted in India, including glyphosate and 2,4-D, have been classified by the WHO's cancer agency (IARC) as 'probable' or 'possible' carcinogens, while paraquat continues to be used despite being banned in more than 70 countries over toxicity concerns," said Om Prakash, who has written a series of reports on chemical fertilisers and pesticides in India.

The director of the film told India Today Digital that the story originated after writer-producer Sagar B Shinde's "close friend" saw his six-year-old child diagnosed with cancer. "We were shocked... How could such a young child get cancer?" he said, adding that subsequent research led the team to develop the film.

SO, DOES AGRO-CHEM INDUSTRY DENY THERE ARE PROBLEMS?

No. Interestingly, ACFI did not deny that pesticide misuse exists. Speaking to India Today Digital, the federation's head, Goswami, acknowledged that the overuse and misuse of pesticides by farmers remains "a very big concern" and said awareness about the judicious use of agrochemicals needs to improve.

"It should be highlighted," he said, adding that ACFI regularly conducts farmer awareness programmes in states such as Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Telangana on the safe and judicious use of pesticides.

IFFCO MD US Awasthi, speaking to ANI, acknowledged the problem of excessive fertiliser use. He said farmers were "unnecessarily using these fertilisers" and "destroying" the soil. Stressing that chemical fertilisers should be used "only what is needed". He added that farmers had "got used to it" because it was "simpler to use fertiliser".

Farmer groups, including Rajasthan's Kisan Mahapanchayat, have demanded tighter restrictions on paraquat, a herbicide. Some states, including Kerala and Telangana, have moved against herbicide. A petition seeking a nationwide ban remains before the Supreme Court, agriculture expert Om Prakash said in June.

Prakash added that "a collusion between regulators and agrochemical companies is putting the health of millions of citizens at risk".

The federation, however, argued that highlighting the issue should not come at the cost of using exaggerated or scientifically unsupported claims.

But the controversy over The India Story has only started. However, thankfully, currently, no court order is stopping its release or the censor board is doing what its name tells it to. The ACFI said it was not pursuing any legal action, is instead seeking discussions with the CBFC chairperson. Meanwhile, Pandey said his client would seek an injunction and pursue civil and criminal remedies if the film is certified and released without the changes sought in the legal notice. Director Cheytan said making the film had been "challenging" but maintained, "We're not doing anything wrong."

"Difficulties will always come and go, but if you genuinely want to contribute something meaningful to Mother India, you have to be willing to fight for it," he said.

- Ends

(With inputs from Pritinanda Behera)