Following the Tandav controversy, government to start regulating OTT content

• Following the controversy around the Saif Ali Khan-starrer Tandav when several FIRs were filed against it, Unio Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will soon come out with a set of guidelines to regulate it.
• The move is a response to the multiple complaints received against several web series on various platforms.

In view of the rising number of complaints received against content on various Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will soon come out with a set of guidelines to regulate it, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.

Over the past few weeks, Saif Ali Khan-starrer Tandav on Amazon Prime received a lot of criticism with multiple FIRs being filed against it in several states. The ministry had received several complaints against Tandav for its depiction of Hindu Gods in the show and for hurting religious sentiments of people. The announcement by the Union Minister closely follows the controversy.

Films and serials released on OTT platforms and digital newspapers do not come under the purview of the Press Council Act, Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act or Censor Board and therefore there will be some guidelines soon to regulate the content, Javadekar said during a press conference.

In November last year, the government brought OTT platforms under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s ambit. Previously, these platforms used to come under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.