During a discussion titled ‘The Magic Of Online Curated Content’ at FICCI Frames 2022 in Mumbai, the panellists – that included Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary, I&B – spoke about regulation of content on OTT platforms. Unlike films released in theatres, web series and films on OTT do not require CBFC certification. Sahay spoke about the ministry’s more liberal approach to online content, and why self-regulation is the way ahead on these platforms.

He said at the session, “Initially, certain people said that even on OTT, films should need certification. However, we in the ministry disagreed. These (theatre and OTT) are two very different platforms, and the nuances are very different. Unlike with the big screen, OTT content is viewed from the privacy of your home or on your laptop or mobile, it is a one-on-one (channel) between the content and the consumer. Hence, we felt that there has to be self-certification and self-discipline instead.”

Currently, there’s a three-level grievance redressal mechanism for OTT content, where platforms are required to have a Grievance Redressal Officer and self-regulatory bodies, while the I&B ministry has an inter-departmental committee for hearing grievances.

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Talking about the type of complaints received so far through the grievance redressal system, Sahay shared, “One of the first grievances that came to our knowledge was from a person from Rajasthan against the series Maharani. The complainant was unhappy with some remarks against a community in an episode. I then watched the series and also sent the grievance to Sony LIV. I told them, ‘Iska ek achcha jawab bana dijyega aur inko de dijyega. The platform sent back a one-and-half-page reply, and after that there were no more concerns (from the complainant).”

He added, “The point I am trying to make is that most people in this country are happy when their grievances are heard. Citizen ka grievance jo hota hai, usko agar aap jawab de dein, toh woh khush ho jaate hain – chahe woh hum (I&B ministry) de, producer de, ya OTT de. We haven’t had any OTT platform tell us that they feel overburdened in replying to these grievances. It is not a burden at all on OTT platforms.”

The Joint Secretary cited another case, where two days before the release of The Family Man 2, they received a request to not allow its release. “Just before the launch of The Family Man season 2, there was a request received by the ministry from an elected representative to not allow the release of the series because it hurt Tamil sentiments. It was a Saturday, and on Sunday I did a video call with Manoj Bajpayee, the Amazon team and the producer. I asked them – ‘please help me understand why people are complaining?’ In that one-and-a-half-hour session with them, I told Manoj ji – ‘You are a person with high credibility, so obviously, you will not want to do something that will affect your image.’ And they assured us that nothing of that sort is in the series (which could hurt sentiments). And the series was released. We in the ministry are not here to distort or suppress (content).”