Sense & censorship

Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor in Finding Fanny

Apparently, the term ‘virgin’ comes under the offensive word category, at least according to CBFC that has decided that it should be removed from the film Finding Fanny! And this, after we were beginning to imagine that rulemakers, in keeping with changing times were finally moving to the liberal side.
Fortunately, the boo-boos of film censorship, more often than not are much debated and critiqued passionately, but what of television censorship that borders on the ridiculous. Anyone who has tried watching the American shows on TV , would have been subjected to the paranoia about anything that may sound even remotely sexual. Or religious. Context does not matter, even innocuous words commonly used in conversation like ass are usually beeped out and written as *** in the subtitles. Sex but obviously passes off for ***! Shit becomes crap and a mention of God in the context of anything that is laced with irreverence does not pass muster in India. The benefits are multifold—while watching TV, you could also play a game of read my lips as these words are just blanked out.
In addition to the fact that it completely breaks the syntax of the conversation and distracts you, it is rather ineffective and hypocritical. In a country where expletives in Hindi, English and in multiple other languages, are frequently exchanged sometimes as endearment, it is rather hypocritical to pretend that a mention of sex or anything sexual in nature or profane, shocks us!
And then again when in crime based films and shows even words like ‘rape’ in film dialogues are substituted with words like violation or offence, not necessarily the best thing in a country wherein rape is anyway treated very lightly as just another petty crime. Such a narrow and pedantic approach to censorship is pointless and counter-productive to the cause of self-censorship that is far more effective and essential in creating a progressive and multi-cultural societies. And it certainly results in the tackiest of creative works. If memory serves me right, it was not too long ago that the famed Indian squeamishness about brnging sex in the public domain yielded films with flowers bouncing off each other, birds pecking and a series of horrifying visuals. And of course, the obscenely suggestive heaving and thrusting that passed off for passionate coupling besides the song lyrics and dialogues laden with cheap innuendos. Perhaps, it is the aftermath of years of sexual hypocrisy that generations of film-makers and viewers eternally scarred by the horror of the aforementioned have chosen instead to tackle sex and sexuality head on. Indians are finally coming around to the view that it’s ok to kiss and tell, now if only the authorities in the Censor Board would too.
However, outside of the films and entertainment domain, the do’s and don’ts operate a little differently. Every time a contentious real life event involving a film celebrity surfaces, the gloves are off. The instance of former child star Shweta Basu Prasad of Makdee and Iqbal fame who was recently found to be a part of a prostitution racket in a sting operation has suddenly been stripped of all dignity what with intense scrutiny, speculation surrounding her nefarious activities. The moot question is, whether we need to treat such instances, and especially the victims with a little more sensitivity. It is the perpetrators of such crime — the men who run the racket and the high profile clients—that should be ridiculed instead of those trapped in their clutches.
Fact is, that when it comes to controversial disclosures, showbiz celebrities are the favourite whipping boys. It’s easier, more convenient and obviously, far more sensational to single them out for ridicule. In such instances some sensitised beeping out of unnecessary bilge would certainly help.