4 Things We Can Bid Goodbye to When OTT Platforms Fall Under the Censor Board

4 Things We Can Bid Goodbye to When OTT Platforms Fall Under the Censor Board
OTT

 

Strong women characters

 

 

While the censor board was making it extremely hard for films with very real and nuanced stories of women to release, OTT platforms gave us many strong characters in series like Delhi Crime, Made in Heaven, Pitchers, Mirzapur, and many more. It seems almost unbelievable now to look back and think about the fact that stories like Angry Indian Goddesses and Lipstick Under My Burqa had a hard time making it to the big screens.

 

LGBTQIA+ representation

 

Not that OTT platforms always got it right since we still see cisgender heterosexual people play LGBTQIA+ characters, but the fact that there were characters who were relevant to the storylines and not just there as the butt-of-all-jokes was a huge deal for Indian audiences.

Unbiased and fact-based coverage

Platforms like Netflix gave us access to international commentary on political matters that affect all of us. From fake news to hate speech, shows like The Patriot Act covered it all, much to the dismay of those who would like to regulate fact-based reporting. In a country where independent journalism is repeatedly flagged for ‘defamation’ and contempt of court, it would come as no surprise if the green light is given to only those movies and shows that don’t question the status quo.

Stuff that makes sense

 

 

The senseless to the sensible ratio in mainstream Bollywood is at about a disappointing 90:10. Ever since platforms like Netflix and Prime Video made their way to the Indian market, the amount of times we’ve knowingly watched a bad Bollywood movie on screen has gone down significantly simply because better options are available. If strong voices and stories are muffled again, all we can expect is the same celebration of machismo, badly written female roles, and regressive ideas of gender, sexuality, and society.

 

-Riya Singh