The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has issued a stern warning to filmmakers and over-the-top (OTT) media services against movies or web series that may show the Hindu religion in a “disparaging” manner.
VHP spokesperson Shiraj Nair has warned them of legal consequences if filmmakers and platforms refuse to toe the line.
“Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal strictly warns all filmmakers and OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, MX Player, Alt Balaji etc to immediately stop anti-Hindu web series or movies ridiculing or mocking Hindu Dharma.” He added that in case of violations, “We will take legal action”.
Though it is unclear what prompted this sudden warning, this is not the first time the VHP has raised its voice against content it thinks is inappropriate on OTT platforms. Last December, on the concluding day of its three-day Central Council meeting held in Mangaluru, the VHP expressed strong reservation against “immoral advertisements” and shows and demanded a ban on them.
“There has been a deterioration of Hindu values in the society, which has resulted in the incidences of women being targeted,” noted VHP back then.
This year, the VHP”s Matru Shakti, a unit involved in working on women”s issues too had raised voice on the portrayal of women, particularly on OTT platforms.
Late, last year, Shows such as ”Leila”, ”Patriot Act” (both streaming on Netflix) and ”The Final Call” (on Zee5) were flagged for their provocative content.
Last year, a PIL in the Supreme Court had alleged that the content of several shows on OTT platforms violates provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act.
