Telugu film bigwigs have been demanding censorship for OTT platforms for quite some time, as they are loaded with explicit scenes, double entendres and cuss words which could adversely affect youngsters who are able to access these platforms easily.
Now, the Central government is planning to unveil new guidelines to curb those issues by ‘blurring steamy scenes’ and ‘beeping out cuss words’ on digital platforms. “It is definitely a welcome measure and right thing to do and I wish it happens very soon,” says producer Suresh Babu, who claims that everything has gone extreme these days - excessive violence, explicit sex and numerous cuss words. “I wish even violence be curbed a bit. We have to see how these two proposals like ‘blur’ and ‘’beep’ are going to change and reduce the obscenity and profanity on OTT because some people would oppose it, under the guise of freedom of expression and stuff. I also believe that content consumption happens based on personal taste which would differ from one person to another and striking a balance between varied and contrasting views is key,” he adds.
He also questions the double standards adopted by authorities. “Frankly, OTT content has to be brought under the scissors like cinema. Because both are meant for public consumption. The easy accessibility of digital content is quite alarming, and it can be more damaging than watching an A-certified movie in a theatre with cuts. Only censorship can keep a check on content,” he adds.
Concurring with the same, producer Bogavalli Prasad feels that OTTs threaten movies with their bold content. “Digital platforms are given a free hand while our hands are tied, and it is bound to affect our business. Even otherwise, promoting excessive sex and violence on screens doesn’t augur well for society. Digital content makers are trying to cash in on the baser instincts of the masses, which is unfortunate,” he says.
However, a director begs to differ. “I think parental control is the key to restrain young minds from accessing explicit content. It is the parents’ responsibility to keep a check on what their children are watching on their mobiles and tabs,” he says, adding, “Instead of blaming others, families have to ensure decent content for their wards; that is the only way out.” “Censorship couldn’t reduce sexual content, cuss words and brutal violence in movies all these years, so how can it curb these on digital platforms?” he wonders.
Giving a different perspective to this, producer Vishnu Induri says, “If OTT platforms have to be brought under censorship then YouTube also has to be curtailed. YouTube is the first OTT for decades since content can be uploaded by anyone from anywhere in the world. Personally I’m against censorship of digital content. We should leave it to the choice of the viewer rather than trying to impose curbs."
Even an actress who has done a few bold scenes in films like 'RX 100' and 'Mangalavaram', Payal Rajput, finds steamy scenes on digital space are too much to digest. “Now-a-days steamy scenes are going overboard on digital space. I am unable to watch web content with my father or mother without feeling embarrassed due to overloaded bold stuff. Despite being young, I am sucked into old fashioned ideas and I attribute it to my upbringing and close-knit family,” concludes Payal.
