The government of India has been introducing stricter guidelines for online streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix. Hence the major players are trying their best to play safe and avoid any trouble. Inorder to ensure that there are no religious or political references, all the upcoming series are being toothcombed by experts.
On January 15, 2021, Amazon Prime Video dropped season one of the political drama, Tandav. The show was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and featured stars like Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub. The series was surrounded by controversies since day one of its release. Netizens accused the makers of hurting religious sentiments and demanded a ban on the show.
The very first episode of the series shows actor Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub essaying the role of Lord Shiva in a stage play. BJP leader sought a ban on the series for allegedly ridiculing Hindu deities.
The director issued an apology which read, “The cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion, or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead. The cast and crew of Tandav take cognizance of the concerns expressed by the people and unconditionally apologize if it has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments.”
An OTT content producer revealed, “None at all, good or bad. We are henceforth going to black out all references to politics and religion.” Producer further added that any content related to political and religious contexts are currently “on hold.”
Netflix’s drama Bombay Begums was released on 8th March but its steamy content seems have offended none as its shooting for season 2 has been sanctioned.