Actress-turned-MP Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’ which is based on the controversial period of the Emergency in India, has been postponed as the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has not provided it with the required certification for the release that was scheduled on 6th September. The delay has been attributed to the objections raised by the Sikh community’s representatives who have filed petitions in the court seeking a complete ban on the film. Kangana Ranaut, who herself has produced the film, expressed her frustration with the matter.
Kangana Ranaut said, “Meri film pe hi Emergency lag gayi hai. Bahut hi nirashajanak ye sthiti hai… [An Emergency has been imposed on my film now. It’s a terrible situation…]”. She questioned the inconsistencies in issuing certificates by CBFC noting that her film is not the first to depict the Emergency period. She pointed out that movies like ‘Indu Sarkar’ and ‘Sam Bahadur’ talked about that period and did not face any issues.
The contrary to the issue faced by film by Kangana Ranaut, Netflix’s new web series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,’ directed by Anubhav Sinha streamed without any regulatory hurdles. It was only after the objections raised by the viewers that, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned Netflix India’s content head. The web series has attempted to mellow down the heinous crimes committed by the terrorists by hijacking the Indian plane.
The web series, based on the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 by Islamist terrorists, came under fire for distorting the grim realities of the event. In the web series, terrorists were shown playing antakshari with the hostages and even exchanging apologies.
Content moderation on OTT platforms is need of an hour
Looking at the type of propaganda content that runs freely on OTT platforms and gets removed or changed only after the uproar, there have been calls for strict moderation of the content on such platforms. Activists including Uday Mahurkar, founder of Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation and former Central Information Commissioner, have raised alarms over the double standards of content regulation between traditional cinema and OTT platforms.
In a recent letter addressed to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Mahurkar criticised the unregulated nature of OTT platforms like Netflix. He accused these platforms of propagating content that undermines the country’s values and culture and distorting historical facts.
Dear Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw ji , the Draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill for which @MIB_India has invited suggestions is a toothless bill which promotes MIB patronage of P0rnographic content which is fuelling India’s r@pe crisis.
— Uday Mahurkar (@UdayMahurkar) September 2, 2024
Below is my letter in this regard… pic.twitter.com/Z49POQKjxS
In his letter, he called into question the integrity of the self-regulatory framework currently governing OTT content. He said, “The content of many of the films and web series being streamed on OTT platforms nowadays is so horrendous, obscene, and unlawful that they would not even be approved for screening with an ‘A’ certificate in cinema halls by CBFC.” He further highlighted the inadequacy of the existing rules, stating, “The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021… have no effective mechanism for either screening or taking appropriate action for those who violate the guidelines.”
He specifically pointed out that OTT platforms are allowed to publish content without many restrictions when compared to traditional cinema. He said, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is providing inadvertent patronage to pornographic content providers, enabling them to mainstream and normalize such content in India,” he wrote. He urged the government to take immediate action, citing the severe psychological impact of such content on young, impressionable minds. “The attempts to mainstream and normalize pornographic content by some OTT platforms is proving to have a severe psychological impact, especially on young impressionable minds, which is leading them to emulate the sexually perverted behaviour portrayed.”
The controversy about the content that is blocked by the censor board and that is allowed on OTT platforms has raised concerns over the lack of integrity in the latter. The hijacking of an Indian plane in 1999 resulted in the murder of a young engineer Rupin Katyal. Several passengers who were on the flight and their families still have the wounds of the incident.
Mahurkar specifically raised concerns over content published on OTT platforms such as MUBI, Netflix and ALTT (formerly known as Alt Balaji). He argued that there have been several reports in recent times that categorically pointed out that the accused in the cases were heavily addicted to porn.
He said, “The attempts to mainstream and normalize pornographic content by some OTT platforms is thus proving to be having a severe psychological impact, especially on young impressionable minds, which is leading them to emulate the sexually perverted behaviour portrayed in the pornographic content.”
While the certification process at CBFC needs to be standardised, the ministry must look for ways to moderate content on OTT platforms to ensure that no obscenity is displayed.
