Back in 2018-19 when Indian OTT was at its nascent stage, it had a novelty, a freedom allowing creators to showcase their complete art without worrying about the censor board. However, recent trends suggest a strange shift, with the platforms considering the political and social ideologies more than the art itself.
The OTT scene seems diluted in the past 2-3 years as it becomes mainstream. A Malayalam director Jeo Baby, known for critically acclaimed movies like “The Great Indian Kitchen” and “Kaathal The Core”, raises concerns about artists standing firm for creative freedom.
He highlights incidents like the Tamil film “Annapoorani” being pulled from an OTT platform for hurting religious sentiments, expressing worry about increasing religious and political censoring. Jeo Baby faced a similar situation with The Great Indian Kitchen’s unpopularity regarding women entering Sabarimala during periods. Fortunately, strong audience support led the platform to reconsider and release the movie.
Notably, Anurag Kashyap, a pioneer in Indian OTT, had his upcoming Netflix series “Maximum City” shelved for being too political, causing an emotional wreck. Jeo Baby, currently receiving praise for his latest release Kaathal – The Core, featuring Mohanlal as a homosexual character, shares his thoughts on today’s scenario. Do let us know yours.
