Aprajita Sharad (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 3, 2020)

Often when watching men in uniform, on screen, emotions of pride and respect overwhelm us. Films based on the armed forces have mostly done well due to the same sentiment. But now, with OTT platforms churning out more content everyday, there are ample shows based on or revolving around the armed forces. And some of them have been accused of “distorting the image of the Indian Army”. The Defence Ministry recently wrote a letter to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking the need for all production houses to obtain an NOC from the Ministry before the telecast of any film, documentary or web series which has an “Army theme”.

“Whenever a film is made on the Army, even after getting it censored you still have to show the film to the Chief of Army. The same guidelines will now be enforced on OTT platforms,” informs Atul Mohan, trade analyst, adding that this was a necessary step. “People take cinematic liberties; like the recent Ekta Kapoor series (XXX Uncensored) which was taken as an insult to the military. This is why the need of an NOC arose,” adds Mohan veering the discussion towards OTT censorship.

“Hollywood puts out propaganda but also makes scathing, critical films about the US armed forces. Shouldn’t MoD work with filmmakers to highlight both glories and critical thinking about the forces? Mature democracies like ours must trust its creative people and its audiences. It is hazardous to lie and infantilise our youth. Equally, filmmakers may introspect about artistic integrity and truth. Needless sensationalism or titillation is equally problematic. The result is loss of credibility for censors and filmmakers alike. An arbitrary regime of NOCs is no solution. It’s in direct conflict with right to free speech and fundamental democratic principles,” opines National Award winning filmmaker Ashvin Kumar.

Industry insiders feel the “problem stems from misrepresenting facts or showing blasphemous or derogatory content”. Director-producer Samar Khan says, “Mistakes happen, but all creative people have a self censorship compass inside. This isn’t a move to clamour anything. It will encourage makers to take care of how the Army is represented.”