Recently, a PIL was filed in Bombay High Court, Nagpur bench by advocate Divya Gontia against web series ‘GandiBaat’, which airs on ALTBalaji, along with other popular web series like Sacred Games on Netflix claiming that they are too obscene and should have a pre- screening along the lines of the censor board for web series. The PIL said “The screening of pornographic contents, vulgar gestures and talks are overriding the Indian culture and morality”.
But is this censorship necessary? Shows like Four More Shots Please!, Gandi Baat, Sacred Games etc are definitely showing explicit content but censoring it might lose the essence of the show. For example, Four More Shots Please! Which is aired on Amazon Prime, shows four young, bold and smart women who are trying live life on their own terms. The theme of the show revolves around how today’s women are trying to stand up on their own. Besides, all these shows are 18 and above, not meant for children. They provide their own ratings—13+, 16+, and so on, (and mention that the show features nudity, foul language, etc.), it is upto the individual who can decide in their right mind whether to watch the show or not.
Why are questions being raised on these web series made in India? If it is about the explicit content then Prime Videos, Netflix, Hotstar etc are airing Hollywood adult movies like American Pie as well. Indian web series can be censored but what about the shows and movies coming across the globe, how will they be regulated? Everything is available on internet easily, keeping a watch on what is being uploaded from different parts of the world is not possible. Keeping a check on what is being made poses huge restriction on the directors, it curbs their freedom of speech and expression. It will hamper the originality of the story and will limit the creative minds.
Another important point of discussion is who will be a part of this pre-screening panel? What is their understanding of freedom of speech and expression, their mind set towards creativity and the scope of openness in their thoughts. Obscenity is a subjective topic, what might be vulgar for a 60 year old might not be the same for a 30 year old. Unless it is something absolutely unsupportable like child pornography, censoring the content will not make a difference. Indian web series will be censored but people will still have access to hollywood movies which are equally explicit. In my opinion, web series should be kept out of the ambit of censorship. Directors should have complete freedom to creativity and expressions. At present, Netflix, Hotstar, Jio, Voot, Zee5, Arre, SonyLIV, ALT Balaji and Eros Now have signed a self-censorship code that prohibits the over-the top (OTT) online video platforms from showing certain kinds of content and sets up a redressal mechanism for customer complaints. Amazon has declined to sign this code, stating that the current rules are adequate.
