Kohrra star Barun Sobti weighs in on the need for OTT censorship: Responsibility lies...

Barun Sobti, who is currently basking in the success of his latest web series Kohrra, feels that censorship is unnecessary. In an exclusive conversation with Republic Digital's Mugdha Kapoor, the actor said that the onus of ensuring censorship lies on the parents and not filmmakers. He also shared his thoughts about respecting people's religious sentiments. 

3 things you need to know

• Barun Sobti made his acting debut with a TV show more than 12 years ago.
• Other than Kohrra, the actor also recently received praise for his role in Asur 2.
• Kohrra, written by Sudip Sharma and directed by Randeep Jha, is currently streaming on Netflix. 

What's the point of censorship? asks Barun Sobti 

Web series and films on OTT have often landed in trouble for their bold content and strong language. Lately, some titles even courted controversy for "hurting" religious sentiments. In fact, Union Minister Anurag Thakur recently addressed the issue and said that the Centre wouldn't shy away from censoring such content in India. 

While speaking to Barun about the use of strong language, the portrayal of violence, crime and nudity in Kohrra and other OTT shows, when we asked what his thoughts on censoring content on streaming platforms were, he said, "the responsibility of drawing a line on morality does not lie with a filmmaker." 

Weighing in on the debate around the need to regulate OTT content, Barun said, "Because it's become a popular medium does not mean that we're the teachers of the whole world. The responsibility of figuring out morality, and censorship actually lies with the parents." 

He added that one must take into consideration that children above a certain age are familiar with abusive language. He feels it is, therefore, wrong to assume that they pick up such language from shows. 

"We can debate this all life long but there's no reason what is censorship for. If it's about abuses, we can't have this argument (of censoring content) because children above 18 years know the abuses. Yeh toh hai nahi ki show dekhke pehli baar seekh rahe hain, ki oh my god, yeh kya paap kar diya humne." said Sobti.

"Art should be liberal," says Barun Sobti 

Barun added that it is important to have a ‘liberal’ mindset in order to promote creativity in the field of art. 

"What are we trying the kids to stop watching? Sex, right? We are the largest population in the world! Mera question yeh hai ki censorship se hoga kya? If art is not liberal, then what are people going to be creative about?," asked the Asur 2 star.

Barun Sobti has a message for parents

Barun said he strongly believes that the responsibility of drawing a line on morality and ensuring kids are watching age-relevant content lies with the parents. He pointed out that OTT platforms offer separate profiles for kids to ensure they are not watching content meant for adults. 

"That’s the parents' responsibility. OTT has the option of creating profiles. I have different profiles on my account. There’s a profile for my kid. It's my responsibility to make a profile for my kid and ensure he/she is not watching above 18 content,” Sobti averred. 

Religion is a 'complex thing' for Barun

Barun also shared his thoughts on shows that have apparently hurt people's religious sentiments. He said that it would not be appropriate to talk about it as religion is a sensitive issue, especially in India

"Religion is a very complex thing, especially in our country. It is a very subjective and complex topic and would be inappropriate of me to comment on it," said Barun Sobti. Talking about his personal religious beliefs, the star concluded by saying that he is not religious but respects those who follow a particular belief.