Call it “Sarkar ka Insaaf” or cultural policing.
Aimed at sanitising the content of TV shows, the Centre has cracked its whip on reality shows “Bigg Boss 4” and “Rakhi ka Insaaf” and shifted them from the prime time slot. The government has termed these shows as “unfit” for universal viewing.
In a recent directive, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has virtually labelled them as adult shows by saying they should only be aired between 11 pm and 5 am.
The directive clearly states that both “Bigg Boss” and “Rakhi ka Insaaf” are only for the adults and thus the prime time slot cannot be allotted to them.
They have also sent a notice to the production houses of these shows asking them to attach a message which says, “Not suitable for children.”
The Indian version of international show “Big Brother,” now being hosted by Bollywood star Salman Khan, has already been full of surprises with the choice of contestants, the cat fights, romances and a wedding.
“Rakhi ka Insaaf,” shown on “Imagine” has also its share of controversies as earlier this month a 25-year-old man committed suicide allegedly because of the humiliation meted out to him on the show. Sources at the two channels have refused to comment on the issue until the notice formally reaches them.
However, the industry is divided over the ministry’s decision to give an ‘A’ certificate to the two reality shows. While some support it, others think that the allegations are baseless.
Theatre personality and ad guru Alyque Padamsee slammed the decision, saying: “It’s a typical reaction. Next they will say we cannot have ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ as it teaches kids to run after money.”
Aspiring actor Rahul Bhatt, who was evicted from “Bigg Boss” two weeks ago, said, “It is great, I am in full support of this decision. A lot of vulgar things happen on the show and it is certainly not for the general public to view.”
His words were echoed by lawyer Abbas Kazmi, another former contestant of “Bigg Boss.” “It is a proper decision. If the content is not according to our culture, it should be aired only for an adult audience.”
“I think they have taken a right decision. The quality of the content has gone down to a large extent,” said Aanchal Kumar, another contestant who was eliminated from “Big Boss”.