Streaming platforms are known to be free from censorship. But strong language, peppered with expletives, on shows, has been raising eyebrows of late. Take the case of shows such as Farzi and Class that have been getting brickbats for the use of strong language. The question remains, is profanity really getting out of hand on these platforms? 

Talking about Farzi getting called out for using strong language, actor Divya Dutta, opines, “It depends on the project — it could be voyeuristic or coming from the land that you are trying to show. For instance, when I watched Farzi, mujhe nahin laga zabardasti daal diya hai. I see those kinds of boys out there.” 

Reiterating that the choice of language varies for each person, Kanishk Varma, director of the third season of Inside Edge and the film Sanak (2021), shares, “For Inside Edge, we showed how people (in the show’s universe) would interact. At the same time, I did a showreel for a streaming platform where my goal was to have nothing that could hurt someone. However, sometimes [in shows], I’ve felt, ‘Why do you have to abuse so much when asking for a glass of water!’,” he says. 

In such times, self-censorship seems to have become the norm. Like actor Anil Kapoor, who removed extra expletives from his dialogues in The Night Manager. “There is nothing wrong with it; I just felt it was becoming more of a cliché. We were careful as we wanted our show to be viewed by families,” he opines. 

Vishal Mangalorkar, who directed Jeet Ki Zidd, feels sometimes it’s a lot to handle. “There can be a little bit of restraint... What we tend to do sometimes is show real-life situations where people would use that kind of language. But kahin kahin pe zyaada hai,” he says. 

Actor Rajshri Deshpande, who has been a part of the web show Sacred Games, says, “I believe we need to have freedom. It should just not be derogatory or demean any person.” 

A recent order from the Delhi High Court to file an FIR against the makers of the web series College Romance, for the usage of “obscene, profane and vulgar” language has further stoked the issue. The order stated, “This court notes that this is not the language that [the] nation’s youth or otherwise citizens of this country use, and this language cannot be called the frequently spoken language used in our country.” 

Will such curbs translate into the end of creative freedom? Actor Abhishek Banerjee, who was a part of Paatal Lok, feels one can opt out of watching certain things instead of curtailing creative expressions. “OTT is the most democratic set up. One has the choice to watch or not watch something on the platforms. At the end of the day, it’s a creative expression and is meant to be taken that way.”