I&B Ministry's directive to Sony TV on Vidya Balan-starrer, which is based on the life of Silk Smitha
Television viewers were in for a huge disappointment on Sunday afternoon as Sony TV decided not to telecast The Dirty Picture following a directive from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which said a U/A certified film could be shown on the small screen only late in the night.
The much-talked about Vidya Balan-starrer was slated to be telecast at 12 noon and repeated at 8 p.m. and almost all newspapers in Mumbai carried huge advertisements and the channel ran promos in the morning.
The Ministry, in a letter to Sony TV, said the channel should refrain from telecasting the film during the day and evening hours. Sub-Rule 5 of Rule 6 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, which contains the Programme Code, says any “programme unsuitable for children must not be carried in the cable service at times when the largest numbers of children are viewing.”
However, if Sony TV considered telecasting the film, it should do so only after 11 p.m. the letter said.
The film, originally rated A, went through 59 audio and visual cuts in February this year to get a U/A certificate, in order to be screened on television.
On April 19, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, acting on a public interest litigation petition, asked the Centre to prevent the telecast of the movie as it violated the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.
The CBFC earlier advised Sony TV that the film be shown late at night when most parents would be available to guide their children.
There was no word from Sony TV on the entire episode. The channel merely ran a scroll: “For unavoidable reasons we regret to inform that the film The Dirty Picture will not be telecast today [Sunday]. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”
Directed by Milan Luthria, the film is based on the life of the southern actor Silk Smitha and depicts the rise and fall of a dancing star. Vidya Balan has won a national award for her portrayal of Silk Smitha.
Tusshar Kapoor, who acted in the movie, expressed his disappointment on twitter. “Really unfortunate that after all the necessary cuts and a valid UA certificate, The Dirty Picture could not be telecast today [Sunday] on Sony TV.”
“In light of recent events that exposed the dark side of Bollywood, The Dirty Picture was well timed as it depicts a similar harsh reality,” Tusshar wrote.
Tanuj Garg, CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures, commented on Twitter. “Sorry to everyone who's been messaging and calling this [Sunday] morning. Been on the phone continuously. It's unfortunate that even after …a valid censor cert being in place, the telecast was held [up]! The cuts made to TDP were done in a manner that would not offend the larger populace but completely retain the film's creative integrity!
Given the best actress award for the film and banned the same from showing on TV...by same ministry!!!! Really funny :D
The practice of U/A certification is not correct. Either it must be U or A. I have not seen the film under report. Silk Smitha was good actress but not enough to be followed by many when there are many people whose life could be made films and circulated among younger generations. Authorities should consider all aspects before crtification.
You can stop only on television, but you can't stop on the theaters,there u can't stop. becuase some source of income to the govt. first ban such type of cinemas in the theaters. technology is developing day by day. they are seeing such type of cinemas in cellphones, internet etc.,
To all those people who are expressing disappointment or disapproval at this movie not being allowed to show in the afternoon (this includes the producers of the movie): just for your information, the movie was going to be shown starting at 8 pm in the UK, but was not shown. However, no one is complaining, least of all families who have children that might well be awake at that time.
So even in the Western "liberated" world, which the movie's makers so desperately want India to follow, there are some sensible rules about what can be shown before the watershed, as its called here. The movie may be very good, and has won awards, no one disputes that, but it is not suitable for an audience below a certain age. Period.
If this movie was so provocative and bad enough that, it cannot be boradcasted in day time how was this acknowledged as a best film and awarded with 3 national awards including the leading actor "vidya balan". Quite contradictory.
They shouldnt have given the award for this "dirty " children "unwatchable " film.
Now a days, those children who can afford to see cable television at home, can also have access to internet either at home or in different cyber cafe. It is well known that at present, all the movies can be downloaded from torrent . Duplicate CDs are also available in the market at a very cheap rate. Only changing broadcast time will not solve the problem. Rather it will generate interest among children that in this movie, something is not normal. They will try to see the original version.
There should be a NGO which should strongly highlight the present day
nudity on TV as in the name of Western Culture we are simply mimicking
the Dirty Culture where children are over exposed to Sex and Family
structure has totally fallen on flat face....Lets Save India
I watched the original movie (Silk Smitha movies) during day-time and I turned out just fine. Not corrupt, immoral, or any other word you can think of!
Very good attempt from Government. I appreciate this. Such films must be banned from showing in the day time.
I wonder how many who have commented, had already seen the movie?!. Speculating on
the name of the picture is quite fallacious and prejiudicial. If the film turns out to be 'adults
only' it is then appropriate to show it as a late night movie fully disclosing it as adults only.
Knee jerk and moral outrage based on one's own moral values and then demanding
prohibition is not fitting to a multicultural democracy! Viewing is not compulsory and one can
switch off or change channels if it offends them. It is best not to ask for a 'nanny state' where
adults live!
Something is better than nothing.
In the light of increased abusive and sexual content in the movies in the name of one of the 'Navarasas' - the key ingredients of any act/play/cinema, our movie makers are impregnating this culture into our lives slowly keeping blind on the holocaust it makes. Govt. should take the frame more stringent rules and rate each programme also to display before each of its telecast as it do in the start of the movies. TV as a source of mass media has tremendous effect on the masses through which it can enlighten / corrupt the minds of people at large and vast. Its high time for us to think. I deem this is one such move. Jai Hind.
After all it is not the government, we should decide, what our children should Watch!
Oh dear!. Why do many people worried about children watching this movie. Are you stuck with only one channel which broadcasts this movie? Have you lost of your remote control or have you lost your control on your children? Flick of a remote button you can change to different channel. And why do you let your children watch TV anytime they want. I have not seen that movie..but I reckon its okay if they broadcast by 11PM. There are much more awkward movies than this that should have gone through criticism. Please think and make a logical conclusion.
National award winning film does not mean that the film can be shown to all in a day time slot. If the film has adult scenes (it had a 'A' certificate), then it has to be shown according to rules (after 11 PM). I back the government for this decision.
Once in a thousand years, our government has been proactive enough to stop a 'dirty' film (dirty is not my word, the filmmakers themselves named it that way) being telecast in day time. If this film would not have been stopped, tomorrow, respected Mr Mahesh Bhatt would be arguing to telecast his Sunny Leone starrer on the same lines. National award does not mean that the film could be watched
@Mohan-Give us a break. I have seen tons of TV series and movies loaded with
innuendo, crass humor, overt/covert sexuality, profanity and unbelievable
amounts of violence in the US, all in regular hours. Several of those even have kids
in them. The US is not exactly a beacon of television programming. Most of the
crap you see on TV in India is ripped off/based on/inspired by programming in the
US (including the News). On another note, it is hard to watch TV in Germany or the
Netherlands without landing upon real pornography and adult ads.
Before anyone says that censoring/not telecasting The Dirty Picture is right, it
could be a different movie/feature/program tomorrow for a different reason. I
could argue that watching Virat Kohli play is as bad as a movie because he is
constantly mouthing expletives and the cheerleaders wear skimpy outfits. Shall we
censor the IPL then?
I am not sure why media gives so much importance to films and film celebrities in India. Instead of we ignoring such news in the media, we make it sensational.
Today, TV commercials have obsene visuals and adulty concepts worse than that shown in a movie. Even POGO and other kids channels were not spared. Why are these not banned from getting telecasted ?
Dear sir, Can we call it a double speak of a ministry when on one hand this pictures lead player has been awarded National award and on the other had the film is considered an no-no for viwers on a Sunday. I do not feel the picture as was sscreened in theatres was with that objectionable contents or scenes.
banning this movie from being telecast in the day will not help
have people thrown a blind eye to the videos of songs in channgel-v and
mtv and the like?
even advertisements are like porn movies now!
This is pathetic. how can our govt. ban only one such movie. A movie namely, Julie, which had a lot to say about sex,it was also shown on TV a lot of times. That wasn't banned. I believe all should be treated the same way. either you start banning majority of the movies form from being broadcasted on TV or cinemas or sit back tight and enjoy the show. Treating only particular movies is totally not acceptable. This is a very mean move by our govt.
Very nice decision taken by Information and Broadcasting Ministry(IBM) Ministry and next step to filter timing for other English movie which are now operated through different DTH services.
This is a total sign of very usual hyprocisy by the Indian Govt. Valid certificates related to the movies do exist. and if there was such a concern "why did the censor board allow this movie in the first place"?
What a shame ?? If people have no problem watching sleazy item numbers during the day along with their children why not watch Dirty Picture.
@Hariharan.D - How long can you protect your children from the outside world ? If even the matured goes corrupt how can they guide their children ?
Whether it is going shown in TV or not? By controversy has given good advertisement to the film. If released again in threatres it will make good money. Thanks to I & B intervention it has given good advertisement to the film.
When movies with double meaning words/acts & others can be released without cuts why not "TDP". Simply ridiculous on th I&B part.
Very good attempt from Government. I appreciate this. Such films must be banned from showing in the day time. Nowadays, films comprise of talks and expressions mostly related to sex. This should be avoided because most tv viewers are children.
Given the subject matters discussed - such as extra marital relationship, planned murders just to name a few, from multiple dimensions in the soap operas, I cannot see how there can be a content that can pollute the minds worse than what is already happening.. It is disheartening to see most of the reader comments praise the government's move. If you have to rely upon the bureaucrats and elected politicians to up hold the moral standards for your next generation, God save the next generation. It seems like most of the readers would give their freedom of choice on a platter to the nanny state.. Sad.. very very sad.
Too much stuff makes it to TV at normal hours that shouldn't be on when children are watching...(anybody remember the mobile phone ad where the checkout girl gives out condoms instead of change). I've lived in USA for a while and quite a bit of what makes it to channels here would never be telecast in the USA at normal viewing hours...so if anybody suggests that it is acceptable in West and or is progressive ...should think again. People with small children already know what I am talking about.
it is great to know that ,finally my PIL in force and the IB has taken the great decision for not screening the dirty moves on television as their are so much double meaning sentence and vulgar scenes. Thank you for assisting me .
More such dirty pictures need be telecasted at late hours to keep pace with the modern mind set atleast to the Adult subscribers.Why there should be any ban to watch adult films by adult themselves at their own privacy? There should be some rationality on such things.It is said that there are as many 44 channels telecast adult films to the subscribers in the west.Of course the TVs and Films doing the same job during the day time here too! But they are adulterated with sexy scenes only
This is just an sales GIMMICK. So now everyone will be up at night to watch this Banned Film. That's how Da Vinci Code and Satanic Verses got their sales. The Movie is probably a dud, though with Balan performing it should be visually exciting. I don't understand this reality clause of film makers when they show bedroom scenes (if this one has any) In reality Bedroom scenes are PRIVATE and No one I heard of keep his bedroom door open for others to intrude in sexual privacy, except pedophiles or perverts. Most of us women especially feel uncomfortable with these humping scenes and prefer to avoid such films or we just close our eyes and hope this bogus stuff gets over quick. The film industries worldwide are turning Humans into Peeping Toms by showing bedroom scenes, explicit or otherwise. We DO have some imagination left. It would pleasing instead to see a film which shows a tender look in each other's eyes (if it is still possible in today's world) and just SHUT BEDROOM DOOR!
It's very glad to see I&B ministry has made some powerful efforts to stop such films in the day time.
Easy enough to download the "full" version and be done with it. The IB Ministry is in the stone age when it comes to regulating content for Indian viewers! This sort of move is so irrelevant it really is not even worth the time we spend debating it.
Good Idea to show the movie after 11pm so that children do not watch such idiotic movie. Waste of Time and Energy.
Sounds like double standards to me. The children might as well tune to channels that routinely spew forth rubbish in the name of reality television and also learn a few badly beeped swear words in the process!
It is strange that The Dirty Picture was given this treatment. An Adult Only movie like DESI BOYZ was telecast throughout the day by many DTH operators as PPV movies. One does not know whether it was censored again and made into a UA certified movie. Even then it was blatantly shown throughout the day by many. There seems to be no uniformity of implementation of laws and regulations in this country. Quite perplexing !
I&B should have done the same when the film was released in cinemas. Weren't they concerned about "children" watching it then or were there directives of not allowing those "children" in. We are in 21st century and still think like in BC era. Its not about this film, it about the maturity level exhibited, the urge to nanny without logic or reason. When will they grow up in the real sense.
Such pictures must be banned in India. It not only corrupt youngsters but also the matured.
It's good to see the I&B ministry has made some good efforts to stop the telecst of the film in the day time.
What a foolish idea. If the children are refused to see the movie in day they will of course view it even after 11p.m. The parents will see this along with the children which is the norm of modern society.
We must appreatiate the move made by government...........It was like showing blue film on small screen to our next generation......
Irresponsible comment by Milan Luthria if India is a democracy should be condemned.He is insulting an act of parliament existing since 1994 , Censor certificate and a court order.All this when his film name it self is DIRTY PICTURE.
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