The exclusivity of Salò protects the unwary. This is one of the few films that has caused critics to vomit in theaters (at the 1975 New York Film Festival). Watching it in a grainy, low-quality "Hindi exclusive" print will not make it easier to watch; it will just obscure Pasolini’s stark, beautiful cinematography.

Several online archives host the 116-minute cut (the original Italian cut). Dedicated fans have created Hindi .SRT subtitle files. To watch:

Before discussing its availability or plot, one must understand the source. The film is adapted from the unfinished 1785 novel The 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade (from whom we get the word "sadism"). However, director Pier Paolo Pasolini did not set the story in 18th-century France. Instead, he transposed it to the fascist puppet state of Salò, Italy (1943-1945).

The Premise: During the final months of World War II, four powerful fascist-liberal magistrates—the Duke, the Bishop, the Magistrate, and the President—kidnap 18 young men and women. They take them to the remote villa of Marzabotto. For 120 days, they subject them to a systematic orgy of psychological torture, scatology, and brutal murder.

The Structure: The film is divided into four "circles" (Anteinferno, Circle of Manias, Circle of Shit, and Circle of Blood), mirroring Dante’s Inferno.

बहुत से लोग इसे सिर्फ एक अश्लील (Pornographic) या ग्रोटेस्क (Grotesque) फिल्म समझते हैं, लेकिन ऐसा नहीं है। पासोलिनी ने इस फिल्म के जरिए एक गहरा राजनीतिक और सामाजिक संदेश देने की कोशिश की थी।

This is the most common question asked in Hindi film forums: "Kya yeh sirf gandi picture hai?" (Is this just a dirty film?)

The answer is complicated. Pasolini was a Marxist, a homosexual, and a poet. He made Salò not to arouse, but to horrify the bourgeoisie.