Ranveer Allahbadia has been in the news for his question on parental sex to a contestant when he appeared on Samay Raina‘s show ‘India’s Got Latent‘. This led to a lot of backlash on social media and FIRs were also filed against Ranveer, Samay, Apoorva Mukhija and Ashish Chanchlani who appeared on the show. This sort of hype brings people to wonder if just like cinema in theatres, even OTT and content on Youtube or any digital platform needs any regulation or censorship? Perhaps this requires self-censorship as per insiders, but here’s discussing if the medium due to its creative freedom is now beginning to get exploited!
Does OTT need censorship and regulation?
There are some strict rules when it comes to censorship of movies in cinemas. However, the OTT space provides more creative freedom in that sense and hence many film-makers now prefer to go the OTT way for their movies or make series. However, does this medium need censorship? Nitin Tej Ahuja, CEO of Producer’s Guild Of India, says, “Streaming/OTT content in India is governed by a very robust and comprehensive set of rules and Code of Ethics as detailed in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. These Rules provide for a clearly laid out grievance redressal mechanism. Further, provisions of various other statues in Indian law also provide many avenues to aggrieved parties for seeking redressal. That being so, there is no need for additional regulation.”
Pahlaj Nihalini opines, “See the policy that the government has put forward, that self-regulation should be brought for OTT, but I don’t think that self-regulation will come. Parliamentary committee is sitting on it and they are going to change the law. OTT is a different procedure and cinema is a different position and satellite is a different position. Once you show your movie or anything or add films to satellite, you require the certificate. When you are playing your picture through OTT, but it comes on both the things on the TV or in any other sources or whatever.”
Trade expert Girish Wankhede says, “In a world that thrives on innovation and diversity of thought, prioritizing artistic freedom over censorship is essential. It empowers creators to communicate their ideas without the constraints of external regulations, fostering a rich cultural landscape that reflects the myriad experiences and perspectives of society.
However, with this freedom comes the responsibility to ensure that vulnerable audiences, particularly minors, are protected from potentially harmful content. The accessibility of various media platforms, including YouTube and OTT services, necessitates a balanced approach that respects artistic expression while safeguarding the well-being of younger viewers.”
Actor Tanuj Virwani says, “You know, I think the same rules that apply for movies when we go to theater should apply to the OTT space as well. And I’m not saying what has happened is the right way of going about things, because I feel the response has really, I don’t feel the punishment fits the crime. I feel it is bad what has happened.”
He added, “But I also feel that this needs to, like they should be forgiven now and hopefully they will learn from the mistakes and not repeat it again. But I definitely think as a whole, as a community, as an industry, we need to look, take a long hard look at ourselves and hold ourselves a lot more accountable for the kind of content that we are putting out there. Regulation is key.”
The need for uniformity
Nihalini adds, “There are many platforms within the public places like Bus, train,everywhere, airports, everywhere, all the channels are coming. So it’s a public exhibition, whatever you say. So that means regulation has to come? Definitely, and the government is working on TV as a self-regulation. But the Doordarshan requires a certificate for any kind of material. So everything is self-regulation because it is a government channel. Doordarshan requires a certificate.”
He says further, “Then why not uniform level? It should be on the uniform level whether it is required or whether it is not required. But the government is receiving a lot of complaints and people are going in the court to stop this kind of whatever they are showing on vulgarity and obscenity and sexual material. Not only in the OTT, but it is on the social media also.”
Self-censorship is the key
Saba Azad feels that more often than not, ones own moral compass is extremely important when it comes to content – either on OTT or on social media. She says, “Having your own internal compass is very important. As you have an audience, you should be responsible about what you put out there. Speak responsibly. Having said that, self-censorship can be stifling also, fear mongering. Perhaps, holding on to a freedom of speech, speaking up for what’s right and maintaining a basic moral compass.”
Virwani adds, “I definitely feel with great power, there also needs to come great responsibility. I am someone who is eternally grateful to the wonderful opportunities that the OTT space and the various platforms have provided me in my quest to do good work as an actor. And it’s not just for actors, even for content creators, for influencers, so many people who are out here to entertain the audience.”
He also says, “We also need to be held accountable and responsible that we don’t push things too far. At the end of the day, you want to make good, clean entertainment that one can view their family. And for whatever reason, if you’re making slightly adult oriented entertainment, it needs to have certain parameters and it has to have age restrictions attached to it.”
Wankhende opines, “Moreover, the responsibility of content moderation should not solely rest on regulatory bodies or government institutions. Instead, platforms like YouTube and OTT services should adopt a proactive stance towards self-regulation. Self-regulation also involves creating transparent policies that outline the criteria for content moderation and the processes for handling violations.”
Parental guidance is needed
Actor Dibyendu Bhattacharya feels that more than censorship, what’s required is parental guidance. He says, “Censorship is that a few people decide that it’s wrong or it’s right, or something like that. Because I feel that it could be better to have parental guidance. I feel that anything should be regulated in that way. Censorship should have been like this from the beginning.” He added, “Because OTT is like fresh air in the entertainment industry. Because there are a lot of things that you wanted to see, but you weren’t able to do it after censorship. And the problem of censorship is that when you start thinking about censorship, the post, I will not be able to make it because it’s going to be cut. what happens in censorship is that censorship starts coming into your thinking. You start backlashing at the level of your thinking. So, how will you reach the production, how will you reach the audience? And at the end of the day, it comes first, society comes first or art comes first.”
However, he says about the flip side, adding, “Having said that, Humour can be created in a lot of ways. To create humor, is no need to go below the belt. Because there are bedroom jokes. You keep it in your bedroom, if you like this kind of jokes. There is no need to do it on national television. Because I don’t support this kind of thing. But the thing is that, as far as exploitation is concerned, self-censorship is very important. I will tell people that content comes first. People will first think that I have to abuse in this show.” He further added that it’s a wrong mentality to make something with just the intention to have sex, violence. “It’s a wrong approach if people think ‘I have to show sex in this show. I have to show gore in this show. I have to show violence.’ First, think of a story. Tell a story. According to that, content will tell the style of the making.”
Wankhede adds, “Additionally, implementing “sticker laws” or age-rating systems can serve as an effective self-regulatory measure across various platforms. Similar to movie ratings, these systems can provide clear indications of the content’s suitability for different age groups, helping parents and guardians make informed decisions about what their children consume. By adhering to a standardized rating system, content creators can also be more mindful of the potential impact of their work on younger audiences.”
