What you can watch online is likely to shrink dramatically in the coming years. The likely fate of ‘Monkey Man’ is just one example. We explain why.
Editor’s note: This is part two of our series on the new regime of censorship of streaming platforms. Part one looked at how and why the streamers decided to surrender to rightwing pressure.
Researched by: Nirmal Bhansali
Reading the gloomy tea leaves…
At the end of 2021, Amazon Prime executives had been hounded into hiding by irate rightwing mobs (See: ‘Tandav’). The government had introduced a ‘code of ethics’—ordering streaming platforms to regulate themselves. They, in turn, had conducted a sweeping self-audit—and junked any scene or series that could possibly offend. Yet the industry was cautiously optimistic—as Film Companion reported at the time:
Streamers argue the matter is not as “black and white” as writers are making it out to be. It’s still early days since the regulation has been passed and it will take a process of trial and error to find out how much they can get away with. The problem right now is that you can’t predict what will set people off. Until then, there are always “other stories that can be told.”
That optimism has proved to be misplaced. Over the past six months, there are signs of an even tighter straightjacket of self-censorship.
The ‘Bheed’ incident: The censor board can only require edits in movies that will be released in theatres. It cannot dictate changes in online entertainment—at least not yet. In the early days of streaming, creators and scriptwriters made most of this censor-free Diwali—wallowing in sex, gore and offensive language. But as the backlash grew among conservative Indians, most platforms began offering the censored version of films—when they came online. Except for Netflix—which had a consistent policy of offering uncut versions of films acquired from producers.
Then ‘Bheed’ happened:
The film’s teaser outraged right-leaning commentators close to the government, as it featured a voice-over of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a line of dialogue comparing the chaos of the COVID-19 migrant crisis to the partition of India and Pakistan.
All offending material was cut out of the teaser—and the movie before its theatrical release—on the censor board’s command. Critics described it as “slaughter.” In May, 2023, when the movie dropped on Netflix—subscribers were offered the censored version.
FYI: This is the teaser:
Point to note: The government had never officially “objected to uncensored cuts of films on streaming services.” It never said a word about ‘Bheed’. It didn’t have to.
A new Netflix policy: By November, it was clear that the company had embraced greater caution. The censored versions of films were offered not just in India—but also in other regions. The domino effect of censorship was complete. The Central Board of Film Certification, scrubbed films of political references—“particularly those that are disparaging to the dispensation in power.” Streaming platforms ensured the offending content could not be viewed—anywhere in the world.
The great protector: These days, it’s not just netas or gods who need protection from upstart filmmakers. Censors cut a reference to Ambani and Adani in the movie ‘Japan’. It didn’t show up on Netflix either.
The ‘Annapoorani’ surrender: Like Caesar’s wife, Netflix is now intent on remaining above all suspicion. It has even started pulling movies that were cleared by the censors. Example: The Tamil film ‘Annapoorani’. The film released in theatres in December—without notice except for bad reviews. Then in January, it hit Netflix—and was discovered by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The film had every element to cause a Hindutva conniption. It was about a Brahmin woman learning to cook and eat meat—as she aspires to become a chef. Worse, the movie implied that Lord Rama ate meat, as well. The last straw for the likes of VHP: A Hindu-Muslim romantic subplot.
Cue the tamasha: VHP leaders promptly filed an FIR—naming the makers and Netflix executives. Netflix immediately withdrew the film—because remember ‘Tandav’. The producers—Zee Studios—profusely apologised. As did the lead actress Nayanthara—perhaps because she’d just hit big time in Bollywood with ‘Jawan’. But the first-time Tamil director Nilesh Krishna refused to comment.
Breaking the Southern bastion: In 2021, Film Companion reported that writers and producers had found an interesting hack to avoid censorship. They would often changing the setting and language of their scripts—because:
[T]he assumption is that it’s the Hindi shows that are being attacked, and you can get away with a lot more in the South. There may be truth in that. Amazon Prime Video has in the last few months acquired Tamil film Jai Bhim starring Suriya and Malayalam film Kuruthi starring Prithviraj. Netflix acquired the Malayalam film Nayattu. All these films are unabashedly political. Manu Warrier’s Kuruthi, for example, is a deeply layered commentary on religious intolerance, hate and bigotry packaged as a gripping home invasion thriller. Jai Bhim and Nayattu too generated a fair amount of debate. But they were allowed to exist.
In 2024—as ‘Annapoorani’ proves—that safe haven no longer exists, at least on streamers. Or as The Wire puts it, that “dam seems to have been broken.”
Point to note: There have been a number of controversies over hurt ‘religious sentiments’ in the South—but they often work to the benefit of a movie’s box office numbers. Example: ‘Vishwaroopam’ which outraged Muslims or ‘Mersaal’ that ticked off the BJP for its criticism of GST:
Mersal, until then, was a formulaic revenge drama that was in no way centred around GST or Digital India. But it quickly became the Tamil public’s assertion against the centre’s policies…the objections and calls for censorship converted an average entertainer into a political statement. It triggered public curiosity and made it an even bigger success.
FYI: When this tactic failed, the BJP foolishly tried to go after the mega-star Vijay—tweeting his voter ID to publicise his Christian identity. Notably, he refused to apologise—and instead issued a statement using his full name for the very first time: C Vijay Joseph.
But, but, but: As the fate of ‘Annapoorani’ shows, this immunity from censorship no longer extends online. Call it the KGF effect. Everyone is paying more attention to the South—including Bollywood which has inked a flurry of partnerships with its talent—to tap into its secret for success. That deepening relationship will soon make this territory even trickier to navigate. In the case of ‘Annapoorani’, both Zee Studios and Nayanthara are closely connected to Bollywood—which is far more vulnerable to New Delhi’s pressure.
Coming soon: A new era of censorship
This slide toward near-total control of entertainment will soon be complete—and sealed in stone. Here are some reasons why.
The Broadcasting Bill: made public in December will soon become law. It brings all online content under the purview of a government-appointed Broadcast Advisory Council. According to the Internet Freedom Foundation, the bill gives the government almost unlimited powers:
- “Clause 31 allows the Union government’s power to inspect, intercept, monitor, and seize the equipment of broadcasting networks and services.”
- “Clause 35… allows the Union government to order the broadcaster or the network to delete or modify programmes or advertisement and even direct the channel to be off-air for a specified number of hours.”
- And through Clause 36(2), it can outright prohibit the operation of any broadcasting services or operators in “public interest.”
If the streamers are already afraid of being penalised, they will only become more dutiful. There will be zero pushback, as the Washington Post reports:
This May [2023], a Netflix India team gave a presentation to executives from Europe and Latin America, in which they used India as a case study to illustrate how Netflix needed to be “more malleable to local regulation,” the former employee recalled. “The general line is: ‘There’s no fighting back.’”
The great Indian market: The reward for surrender is undeniable—as is the price. Streaming revenues in India are slated to grow 20% a year—from $2.6 billion in 2022 to $13 billion in 2030. Around 34% of Indians watch streaming content online—that’s about 480 million (48.11 crore) users. There are 101.8 million active paid subscriptions—taken by 36.4 million users. That’s 2.8 subs per person. The potential for ad-supported eyeballs is almost limitless.
Doubling down on India: No wonder, the streaming platforms are going all in—censorship be damned. January 2024, Prime Video unveiled its most ambitious India slate—70 series and movies to be released over the next two years. On stage: a beaming Purohit—whose ‘Tandav’ ordeal seems to be a distant memory. And why not:
Amazon’s Prime services subscription in India has seen more new sign-ups than anywhere else in the world except for the US in recent years. He also claimed that in India, more consumers are signing up specifically to use the Prime Video service than in any other country, and that India boasts the highest percentage of Prime members who also use the Prime Video streaming service.
As the top Amazon International exec explained at the gala event, his company is looking to India to fulfil its target of 250 million new users. You’re not gonna get them by pissing off the I&B Ministry.
Up next, Spotify: In recent months, the platform seems to have quietly made similar “adjustments”, as well—scrubbing references to Nehru and Tipu Sultan in its podcasts.
A final fable: ‘Monkey Man’: One of the hottest Indian movies in the world—Dev Patel’s ’Monkey Man’—doesn’t have an official release date in India. Maybe the Hanuman-inspired action flick never will—Hindu gods are far too hazardous territory. Also: The female lead is a brothel worker named Sita. In a country where we can’t even name a lioness after her, we think not.
But more telling is this little fact: Netflix acquired the movie rights in 2021 for $30 million. Yet, it was never released—yanked from the line-up in 2022 and entirely missing in 2023. Suddenly, in January this year, Universal Films suddenly announced that it’s releasing the picture under the aegis of Jordan Peele’s Monkey Paw Productions. According to one Hollywood blog:
It turns out, according to an in-the-know source, that it was the portrayal of a fictional right-wing Hindu Nationalist character in the film that worried Netflix about their future dealings in India. And even though they had paid more than twice the production cost, they decided to give the film back to the producers, which is what caused the long delay.
We don’t know if that’s true, but it’s certainly not surprising. The movie will most likely stream on Peacock—the NBC property that has no footprint in India. That’s not surprising either. But hey, you can watch the trailer here:
The bottomline: Director Hansal Mehta says the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime—“are here to capture a market of 1.3 billion people… The more we fool ourselves that people are here for something else, the more we will be disillusioned with the system.”
Reading list
The Hindu is best on Netflix’s slide towards censoring more content. Mint explains how platforms censor international content in India. New York Times looks at the significance of removing ‘Annapoorni’—The Wire offers more on the film and why it got in trouble. This older NewsLaundry piece looks at how South Indian films have fared under pressure. Once again: We recommend reading Washington Post and Film Companion for the big picture. This Big Story has everything you need on the new Broadcast Bill—which also has implications for YouTube.
