Ashish Koul
Censorship is the most misconstrued term. The very mention conjures a sense of alien control and curbs on our fundamental rights. Especially, when it comes to digital – the latest bad boy of entertainment in town.
While activists and self-appointed gurus have thrown in the towel – they don’t realize the importance of regulation as guidelines for a pluralist Indian society. Before we debate the ills of a free for all play in digital content, let us examine the scenario we live in and my own bias towards allowing adult and mature content in India through conditional access. I must also mention my fond memories of having signed an MoU with Playboy Inc way back in 2005 to stream in India. I was even willing to underwrite about Rs.5,000 crores in taxation. It was phenomenal those days as I had argued India consumes billions of dollars’ worth adult content which is unregulated, freely available on the streets, via cable TV and WWW. Why must we not regulate it, ensure adult access when we know we can’t stop it and create a formal Industry as is the case worldwide ?. Perhaps, we as an Industry aren’t mature enough to accept the reality of having to live in the Indian society with the visiting card stating ‘in the business of adult content’!
Right to choose does not mean the right to produce religiously offensive content. We may have the right to like guns but do we have the right to manufacture and own guns?. We may not like certain religious acts but is it legal to produce content that abuses other religions? Parsi’s place their dead ones at the tower of silence to be eaten by birds – this may be revolting for many faiths but is it legal to produce content that will be offensive to followers of such customs and faiths in India ?. While consensual sex among adults is permissible but soliciting sex / commercial sex is illegal too. The constitution of India grants freedom of religion but does the constitution of India permit production and broadcast of any form of content that is offensive or abusive to other faiths? I fought the famous Kavita Nethani v/s Zee ( Zee MGM) against adult content. However, the point is do we even remember that all pre censor International films have to be recertified in India for TV and an FPC has to be placed before the DCP a month in advance ? In India there is far more to worry about than fighting censorship of adult content.
India is the youngest nation with about 70% population under the age group of 32. India has the maximum telephony users in the world and a majority of this are teenagers and young adults with impressionable minds. These adults are the future of India and their minds are being poisoned systematically. This poison is also a factor that is increasing crimes against women. Social media is full of instances where women are forced into sexual acts, filmed and then blackmailed over a period of time. Tragic incidents of such videos have found a way into social media and destroyed lives. Furthermore, Hinduism is the single largest religion in India which finds this religious sacrilegious and out right offensive. This abuse has potential to incite aggression within the various sections of society. Vested interests often use such content to further communal tension and incite racial/religious riots. Hindu religion, Gods and icons representing Hindu faith have been a constant source of abuse by various fringe groups and individuals who often use this abuse as a way to garner fame and monetary benefits. It is pertinent to note that law, social groups, religious sects and the administrative system responds stringently when non-Hindu faiths are targeted likewise.
In a nation as diverse and multicultural as India, it just can not be free for all when it comes to content especially on vastly unregulated world wide web. We are the same Indian who are known to follow ironclad rules across the world, especially, Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong among others. The content across the Middle East for example is regarded as the most barricaded in the world. One can not even get access to seemingly innocuous words like dating and XXX and we apparently lead prosperous lives in the same very countries & regions – why then do we throw caution to the winds in our own country?
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