Introduction

Censorship is a phenomenon found in the context of an authority and its exercise of

freedom over its subjects. An authority interacts with its subjects through various
media (print media in the form of newspapers, books, documents or audio-visual
media like TV programs, films etc.). Media are the ways to control, to motivate, to
inform the subjects. No medium has a static function and a medium is not merely a
medium. People watch a film maybe for entertainment, but a film provides
information or motivation while entertaining them. A medium exists in a plural
sphere, it has more than one purpose, it has more than one element, and it has more
than one structure, more than one reading. A film as a medium may record a history,
may produce a new tradition, may write geography newly, may create awareness, may
add to a scientific discovery so on and so forth. As it is one of the most alluring
audio-visual medium, it has the maximum effect on the people. If the effect
violates the prescribed norms of an authority, the authority censors the effect-
producing films. According to the Supreme Court of India, film censorship becomes
necessary because a film motivates thought and action and assures a high degree of
attention and retention as compared to the printed word. This essay will discuss
about the film censorship in India.
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The Oxford Dictionary of English defines censorship as the suppression or
prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene,
politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. By the end of 2014, there came a
controversy over Amir Khan’s PK, a Hindi movie in India. The controversy was
whether it should be banned or it should be allowed to be watched in many Indian
states. Mostly who were bringing a ban over PK were the Indians who thought that
their religious sentiments had been mocked at or caricatured. In spite of these
controversies, it became a hit in India. It shows that individually every Indian
likes to watch the movie. A common man who knew what entertainment was but did not
know what this controversy was, went to a cinema hall and watched it or bought a CD
and watched it. Sometimes such banning is caused by invisible forces which are
driven by market or which are genuinely driven by religious sentiments.
Censorship is never felt individually, it is always a subject where the forces of
community or a group could be seen. We all watch movies, we all read books.
Watching movie is an individual experience; it can be watched in a group, sitting
in a theatre with 200-500 people. But all 200-500 people do have 200 or 500
experiences of watching a movie. Then the question comes, who finds out the filthy
affair? No individual, but individuals with groups. If we analyze the history of
film censorship in India, one can state that a film is banned or censored on the
following reasons: i) Sexuality, ii) Politics, iii) Religion, iv) Communal
conflict, v) incorrect portrayal of someone or something, vi) extreme violence.
Sexuality
Indian society has been following a rigid social structure. Marriage is a social
institution where it has allowed sexual relationship between a man and a woman,
although human beings do have other forms of sexual relationship like homosexual,
lesbian, which have been discarded by Indian society or Freudian concept of oedipal
longing has been highly criticized. A medium whether written or audio-visual
portraying sexuality which has not been accepted by Indian society openly is banned
on the ground that it may degrade the morals of Indians. On this ground/,
Kamasutra, an erotic film was banned in India because of its depiction of sexual
and homosexual contents. Deepa Mehta’s Fire was banned in India as it depicted
lesbian relationship. It was one of the first films that showed explicit homosexual
relationship. There were huge protests against the film by the Hindu
fundamentalists. It was again sent back to the Censor Board, but later it was
released by changing the name of the character Sita to Nita. The Pink Mirror
(GulabiAaina), a 2004 film was banned in India for its depiction of transsexual
contents. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was banned for its adult scenes of rape
and torture. In shooting set, the movie, Water, faced objections from many Hindu
organizations in Varanasi, as it depicted controversial subject like misogyny and
ostracism. Later it was shifted to Sri Lanka. Sexuality has never been discussed
openly in India. Some religions completely discourage all forms of sexuality. It is
a fact in our day today life which is always kept secret. Even imparting sex
education in Indian schools has been in the debate but has not been made a part of
the syllabi.
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Politics
Political forces cannot be isolated as far as the topic of censorship is concerned.
Censoring a film by a political state is always supported by the parties who are
with the authority directly or indirectly. A medium describing a political
situation allegorically or directly is banned by a government who is a party to it.
It may be an international political issue like the Neel AkasherNeechey. Neel
AkasherNeechey was a Bengali language film directed by Mrinal Sen was the first
film to be banned by the Government of India because of its overt political
overtones. Its background was set in the last days of British Raj in Calcutta
(Kolkata) when the freedom struggle was at its pick. The film was about Wang Lu, a
Chinese man who was an immigrant wage labour and his relationship with Basanti, a
house wife in Calcutta. Gokul Shankar was banned in 1963 by Government of India for
portraying the psychological motivations behind Nathuram Godse‟s assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi. GaramHawa, a 1973 Hindi-Urdu film, was directed by M. S. Sathyu. It
was based on an unpublished short story by Ismat Chughtai. It was about the fate of
a North Indian Muslim businessman and his family in the tragic time of partition.
Censor board of India banned it for 8 months thinking that it might cause communal
unrest but later it was released. Aandhi, a 1975 film which was thought to be an
allegory of then the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi was banned by Indira
Gandhi during the national emergency of 1975. When Janata Party came to power, it
was released in 1977.
KissaKursiKa, a satirical film on the politics of Indira Gandhi and her son,
Sanjaya Gandhi; was banned by the Congress government during the emergency period.
There were 51 objections and the director was asked to give explanation. Sikkim, a
1971 documentary film, directed by Satyajit Ray; was a commissioned film by then
the king of Sikkim when he felt that Sikkim was under threat from both India and
China. It was banned by the government of India when Sikkim was merged with India
in 1975. In 2010, the ban was lifted.
Kuttrapathirikai, a Tamil drama film was not released until 2007, as it had the
issues of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the Srilankan civil war. Aarakshan,
the Hindi movie was banned in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab with the
concern that it may hurt the weaker sections of the society as it deals with
politics over reservation in educational institutions. In the early part of June,
2016, we saw a controversy over the film Udta Punjab, directed by Abhisek Chaubey.
CBFC decided to have the film released with some cuts. It was a drug-themed film
with particular reference to Punjab. Punjab and Haryana high courts also issued
show-cause notice to the government of India, the CBFC and the producers. The film
was considered to have some negative portrayal of the Punjabis and Punjab.
Religion
Religion as an institution does not approve any kind of disobedience towards the
values it propagates. Any medium that distorts the religious characters of a
religion is criticized and censored by the same. Religious sentiment does cause
film censorship in India. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a 1984 American
adventure film which was banned temporarily by the government of India as it
depicted the goddess Kali as a representative of underworld. Censor Board took a
note of religious sentiment and put a ban on it. Yvette Claire Rosser, a famous
American writer criticizes the film as it depicts Indians not what they are but
what they are in the Westerner’s eyes. In 2006, The Da Vinci Code was banned in
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Goa, and Punjab with the concern that the
film might hurt religious sentiments of the Christians. The recent controversy over
PK also falls under this category.
Communal Conflict
A film is also censored if it incites any kind of communal conflict under a
heterogeneous nation. Heterogeneity is a feature of India as a nation. Final
Solution, a 2004 documentary film was banned by the Censor Board of India as it was
based on the Gujarat riots. It was thought that the film might bring huge communal
riots. Hawayein, a 2003 Bollywood film, was banned in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab as
it set against the backdrop to the 1984 Sikh genocide. Another film, entitled Amu
on the November event of 1984 Sikh riots was allowed by the Censor Board of India
with some audio cuts. In 2013, Vishwaroopam was banned as the objection was
received from Muslim groups regarding their portrayal.
Incorrect Portrayal of a Popular Figure
Sometime it is a popular man who objects to his own depiction in a medium and goes
for censoring it. Bandit Queen, a biographical film based on Phoolan Devi, was
banned temporarily by the Delhi High Court after Phoolan Devi sued a case against
its authenticity. Main Hoon Rajinikanth, a Hindi comedy film was criticized by
Rajnikanth who went to High Court to stop its release. Rajanikanth thought the film
may spoil his image. The film, Jodhaa Akbar, was banned after Rajput’s community’s
protest over Jodha Bais depiction as Akbar’s wife. Later it was released.
Extreme Violence
Portraying extreme violence disturbs human mind. One of the primary purposes of
watching films is entertainment although violence is a fact of life. Portraying
extreme violence in films affects the people psychologically Paanch is an
unreleased Indian film. It was directed by Anurag Kashyap. The Central Board of
Film Certification objected to its depiction of violence. But later it was allowed
to be released with cuts but could not get released.
These banning’s from an authority, an organization, a board or a court or by a
popular individual. First question comes to my mind is: do the things exist in
India that the films portray? We cannot take up biographical films into account, as
their authorities are the authors. But consider the politics over reservation,
deception in the name of religion, changing sexual scenario of India, communal
riots, changing life-style in India. An Indian who witnesses all these happening in
day-to-day life cannot deny it, when it is portrayed in a film. Above all, film is
an effective media and as entertainment is attached to it, it allures all from a
child to an old man. Although freedom of speech is a fundamental right in the
Constitution of India, it does not allow individuals the right freely, clause-2 of
article 19 of the constitution of India restricts the freedom of speech on the
following subjects:
Security of the State,
Friendly relations with foreign States,
Public order,
Decency and morality,
Contempt of court, VI. Defamation,
Incitement to an offence,
Sovereignty and integrity of India.
As per the IT rules, 2011, the content which “threatens the unity, integrity,
defense, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign states
or public order’ has to be objected. The Central Board of Film Certification allows
some films with explicitly sexual content but such films should be shown only in
restricted places and to the people above 18 yrs.
Conclusion
Censorship is a control of an authority over its subjects. An authority is always
political and it prescribes various norms for its subjects to rule them in a
desired designed way. Although an authority is made of the people under it, the
authority is an artificial construct in a civilization. This is why the norms can
be challenged. What is censored today may not be censored tomorrow. The way the
films are censored in India witnesses the continuity of the traditionally followed
norms in India and reinforces the same. Norms may not necessarily be static, they
may change in time. The reality is always ahead with the prescribed norms which may
result in modifying the same under an authority. Exhibiting homosexual relationship
through a film in India goes against the prescribed norms at present, but the same
norm will be changed in a time when it will be a realized reality.PEPPER TAP
Pepper Tap was AN on-demand hyperlocal grocery delivery startup primarily based out
of Gurgaon(Gurugram). PepperTap began its journey on Nov 2014, by Navneet Singh and
Milind Sharma. PepperTap was started with a vision to revolutionize grocery
shopping; No additional queues, No additional parking hassles, No additional
negotiation with sabzi-wallahs.They worked on “100% Inventory-less” model, whereby
they bought the present inventory in native stores on-line to their app. they’d a
good beginning, operational in around thirty one cities and that they were
processing on a mean of 20,000 orders per day. They became one amongst the biggest
player in India in on-line grocery delivery business within a year of operation.
They raised total of $51 million bucks from numerous investors like sequoia
Capital, Saif Partners, Snapdeal etc. within fifteen months of their operationTHE
FALLIn Sep 2015, the corporate closed their operations in Agra and Meerut after a
month of pilot run.
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PepperTap entered Tier III cities to check the ground and found its not profitable
and had to quickly exit the market before losing a lot of cash.In February 2016,
PepperTap halted operations in ten cities as well as metros like Bombay, Chennai
and Calcutta and it set off around 400 staff as cost-cutting activity. They were
focusing solely on cities like Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Hyderabad, Pune, Ghaziabad,
Faridabad and Bangalore that accounted seventieth of their revenues.Finally, in Apr
2016, PepperTap forced its plug far from its money burning grocery delivery
business.
Resons for the fall Technology of the product
PepperTap was specializing in pumping cash to on-board customers they didn’t pay
attention of their technology. the integration of their app with their partner
stores wasn’t nice, typically customers were unable to envision the complete choice
of {items|of things} from a store and typically even essential items were missing
from the catalogue visible to them.Growth without scaleIn AN interview the
company’s co-founder Navneet admits, “In the race to pepper the entire country with
PepperTap, we had brought too many stores on-line way too quickly”. and that they
didn’t set up the quantifiability of the product and operations consequently.
The discountsE-Commerce in India has a got a brand that it has to be cheaper than
physical store for the folks to buy. to keep engaging customers to buy from their
platform, they were spending plenty of time and energy to plot clever sales and
discount schemes. to achieve the loyal client base and outstrip the competition
they were unrealistically spending money on discounts, that burnt their bank
balance.The business modelPepperTap was performing on “100% Inventory-less” model,
which implies the corporate has got to pay the MRP from local stores; bear the
price of delivery, technology, operations etc. and still offer the merchandise at
discounted value to its customers. There’s no way PepperTap could attain
profitability.For e.g.
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The startup raised $51million in fifteen months of operations, i.e., roughly
$1,00,000 per day. If they need 20,000 orders per day with the loss of Rs. two
hundred per order (on discounts and cost of team) it calculates to loss of approx.
$60,000 per day.The business of raising $1,00,000 per day with the loss of $60,000
per day clearly doesn’t add up.Difficulty in raising fundsIf 2015 was the year once
VC’s opened their purse strings for any plan with even the most remote potential,
2016 was totally different. It started with Flipkart’s valuation being clipped by
Morgan Stanley, followed by Zomato’s valuation and investors were suddenly being a
lot more discreet with their money. And PepperTap had no different fate, they
couldn’t raise a lot of funds to run their show.
Instead of specializing in gaining customers quickly by gifting away discounts,
PepperTap could’ve centered on solving smaller challenge 1st and develop a
profitable and sustainable business model.Instead of defrayment on selling and
promotions, PepperTap could’ve spent on Technology to make their app stronger in
terms of user friendliness and giving store users an excellent product.PepperTap
launched two hours delivery model in Tier III cities. It seldom takes over ten
minutes for shoppers in Tier III cities to travel to a store to buy their things.
Therefore, PepperTap’s two-hour delivery service wasn’t very engaging in these Tier
three markets, where customers have way more time at their disposal and are usually
not in a hurry. Instead, PepperTap ought to have centered its efforts on perfecting
logistics in Tier one cities where customers would have been more aware of
PepperTap’s service promise.They could’ve followed their competitor’s business
model of building own inventory system and building their own branded product.
though it comes with challenge of maintaining the inventory, avoiding waste etc.
there may be some way to realize profit.