Three Indian states have banned a new Bollywood film that tackles the controversial issue of caste quotas.

Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh banned the film, Aarakshan, or Reservation, over fears it could stir up caste tensions.

Critics of the film say it negatively depicts people from the lower castes. The film deals with India's quota system in education, which reserves spaces in schools and universities for members of lower castes.

India's caste system divides people into a strict social hierarchy based on a family's traditional livelihood and ethnicity. It remains a sensitive subject in modern India.