BJP's Jay Panda wants 'same for all' censorship of movies, series streamed on Netflix & co

BJP National Vice President Baijayant 'Jay' Panda said on Sunday that the content displayed on online streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime should be censored under the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). In a tweet, the BJP spokesperson said that perhaps the regulations included in the Censor Board need to be updated, however, they must apply to all kinds of movies as well as web series that the youth consume regularly.

Certain controversies on some recent movies have led to much scrutiny & critiquing. But equally important: why should platforms like #Netflix & #Amazon be exempt from Indian film certification rules? Perhaps the regulations need updating, but in any case they *must* apply to all.

— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay)

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Panda pointed out that controversies around some recent movies have led to scrutiny and critique. Recently, one of the movies that gained controversy was Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl due to its alleged negative portrayal of the Armed Forces. Following its release on Netflix, the Indian Air Force wrote a letter to the CBFC stating that certain scenes in the movie portrayed the Armed Forces in a negative light.

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PIL seeking censorship of adult content

Last week, the Madras High Court sought a response from the central and the state governments to a plea seeking a censor board for regulating adult content in the social media and OTT platforms. A bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice R Hemalatha, admitting a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by advocate K Suthan, issued notices to the governments.

The petitioner sought the court to also temporarily stop social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook Instagram and OTT platforms like Netflix, MX Player, Voot and Zee5 from uploading or telecasting any videos. A registered account alone was enough to start a channel, which provides a platform to upload videos in social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram without any restriction or censor, he said.

Further, the petitioner said there were several adult content videos in the social media which could harm the minds of school and college students. Hence the PIL, he said, adding the contents released in over-the-top (OTT) platforms, that are digitally streamed, need to be censored.

READ | Janhvi Kapoor Starrer 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' IMDb Rating Drops Below 5

READ | Gunjan Saxena Controversy: NCW Chairperson Asks Makers To Apologise And Stop Screening