Mahavatar Narsimha

What’s it about?

Hiranyakashipu, a powerful demon king fueled by vengeance, declares himself a god. His young son, Prahlad, defies him by staying devoted to Vishnu. To protect Prahlad and uphold cosmic justice, Vishnu manifests as Narsimha, a fierce half‑man, half‑lion avatar, and defeats the demon king.

The facts

• Directed by Ashwin Kumar
• Hindi language
• Runtime: 131 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Bloody violence

Characters with superhuman abilities fight with weapons including swords and large clubs. Fighting includes injury and killings which can be gory, however animation may lessen the impact. Stronger moments include:

• In a drawn-out scene, a character burns alive, with some focus on their pain and body burning. Their charred remains are later shown.
• In a long and bloody battle, characters are slashed, speared, and decapitated. Bodies are shown lying in pools of blood.
• While still alive, a character’s torso is torn open, his insides ripped out and tossed into the air, and his heart crushed by another character.
• There are repeated attempts to kill a character – they are pushed off a cliff, drowned, burned alive, and elephants are encouraged to trample them.

Content that may disturb 

A demon’s eyes pop out of their sockets with trailing tissue. Blood and teeth also spill from their mouth.

In a montage, enslaved humans, including children, can be seen chained and beaten. Others are kept in cages or hung upside down over fire. The shots are brief but may be disturbing for some viewers.

Sexual references

A woman tells her partner she wants a baby. He hugs her, saying he will satisfy her desire, implying that they are going to have sex.

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?