By Shailesh Kapoor
I can say ‘I told you so’. Last week, in this column, I had said: Udta Punjab is coming up, but a messy mix of certification board, courts, state governments and religious-cum-political ‘activists’ will thwart its flight.
Though the writing was on the wall, the authorities have managed to add a dash of dark humour to this episode, by becoming a laughing stock in no small measure. But one that gets a laugh of exasperation out of you.
One can vaguely sense that there are some reforms on the anvil. But the truth is, the entertainment business, be it films or television, has never been on the priority list of governments over the years. They are only used strategically to achieve political objectives when convenient.
The idea of censorship goes beyond certification. The latter recognises the freedom the former is designed to curb. They are near opposites in ideology. Yet, we are still struggling to pick one over the other. The ‘certification’ board actually censors, because it has managed to generate a long list of taboo things that won’t even get the toughest of the certificates – the Adults only (A) one. This taboo list can keep getting shorter or longer with every successive board chief (and the powers backing him/ her). But the problem shall remain till the idea of this list is dropped in the first place.
“Self-regulation†has often been suggested as a solution. I find that phrase a bit of a misnomer in the Indian context. Self-regulation should imply that the owners of the content, e.g. TV channels or ad makers, responsibly regulate what they put on-air, on their free will, in the interest of their audiences and the society at large.
Yet, self-regulation operates in our TV industry more out of fear than responsibility. There have been instances of English channels being taken off-air by the courts for not censoring adult language or visuals. That has made all channels airing foreign content treat every show or movie with kid-gloves. Footage is cut out, words are muted, subtitles are asterisk-ridden, and so on.
If you want to watch international content uncensored in India, you are literally forced to take the piracy route, because nothing in the theatres or on TV airs without mutilation. Only the degree varies. This is all self-regulation, of course, the powers will tell you. But you create fear and you get this. It’s self-regulation by coercion, not by free will.
The problem is not limited to foreign content. Indian television stays clear of any potential controversies too. The language is sanitised, even the most hardened criminals don’t smoke, and the idea of showcasing sexuality is entirely irrelevant. It’s another matter altogether that superstitions, potentially a lot more threatening than many things on the TV taboo list, are casually endorsed across serials.
But make no mistake. Our television is censored too. The self-regulation garb is only a sham. After all, it is humanly impossible to censor television, given the volume of daily content. If it were, it would fall under CBFC in no time, like films on TV do.
The ones laughing through all this would be the content creators in the internet business. Censoring films and television will only make the internet a more viable option for mainstream content consumption. But don’t be surprised if someone decides to censor that too. The tool there is probably the easiest to execute – Send sarkaari instructions to all ISPs to block the site. No revising committee, no FCAT. Fight a battle in the courts if you will.
North Korea? Not yet, but quite close.