India bans ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ film, but the book’s a hit there

Indian censors have decided the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” is too sexy to be released there. Don’t tell them the book is on their bestseller lists.

Time magazine reports that India’s Central Board of Film Certification declined to approve the film for release. Universal, the movie studio behind the project, says the nudity in the film had been cut and sexually explicit scenes toned down in an atttempt to appease Indian censors.

That would take a lot out of the film. In the E.L. James book, virginal young Anastasia Steele is taken by billionaire businessman Christian Grey, who introduces her to BDSM sex.

In fact, Indian readers already know all about it. The book -- along with its sequels “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Free” -- is published there by Random House UK.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” is easy to find on Amazon India. In fact, it’s among the bestselling books in several categories: It’s No. 5 in Contemporary Fiction, No. 3 in Romance and No. 2 in Reference.

In America, the “Fifty Shades of Grey” box set, which contains all three novels, is No. 15 on Amazon’s bestseller list overall.

And despite not reaching Indian audiences, the film is going strong: Worldwide its gross is now more than $487 million.

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