Varun Grover’s Short Film ‘Kiss’ Challenges the Moral Police

Published: June 9, 2025

In a cinematic landscape often afraid to challenge authority, Varun Grover’s Short Film ‘Kiss’ arrives as a rare act of quiet rebellion. Just 15 minutes long, the film is a haunting, symbolic confrontation between art and censorship, set against a backdrop of rising authoritarianism.

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Streaming now on MUBI, Kiss stars Adarsh Gourav as Sam, a young filmmaker facing an ideological battle with two men from an unnamed censor board — played with eerie calm by Swanand Kirkire and Ashwath Bhatt.

Varun Grover’s Short Film ‘Kiss’ – Cinema vs Control

Varun Grover uses this minimalist setup to ask powerful questions:

• Who decides what art can say?

• What happens when empathy is treated as subversion?

• Can resistance be soft, even therapeutic?

The two “censors” aren’t just characters — they are avatars of global suppression: from Iran’s morality enforcers to India’s cultural vigilantes. The message is universal: freedom of expression is under threat, everywhere.

Varun Grover Kiss Movie – Empathy as Defiance

What sets Varun Grover’s Short Film ‘Kiss’ apart is its emotional restraint. Grover doesn’t yell. He listens, observes, and lets discomfort build. His filmmaking is compassionate, even toward the oppressors, suggesting that empathy itself can be an act of rebellion.

Despite its short runtime, Kiss is deeply layered — a dystopian parable rooted in present-day realities. It doesn’t need explosions or speeches to make its point. Its quiet resistance is its loudest message.

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