Back to Doordarshan???

Just yesterday, I read that the Hon'ble High Court of Bombay has banned the screening of non-U rated movies on cable TV. This includes the channels which beam these movies into our homes from abroad where the censor laws are not so strict. This means that even channels like Star Movies, HBO and Zee Studio will no longer be telecast by the local cable operator, and this time, its not his fault. Even the good Hindi movies which have a U/A certificate cannot be telecast on national TV.

Now where does this leave us? I, as an adult citizen of this country, certainly feel shortchanged as a result of this decision. I certainly do not want to be told what I should watch and what I shouldn't. This onus of making this decision should rest on my shoulders alone. As regards the argument that children may be adversely affected by the themes of the banned movies, GROW UP, YOUR HONOUR!!!!! Today, such movies are easily available in video parlours and the internet is an ever-burgeoning source of material that can even put adults to shame. If the children hailing from the rural or the economically backward sections of society cannot access these modern sources, they also cannot get access to a simple TV!!! Problem solved, isn't it?

Today, when the developed countries are becoming more liberal by giving Parental Guidance certificates to films that were once marked as Adult, we are going backwards by preventing the adults from watching films that they are perfectly capable of understanding. This, for me, is an insult of my intelligence as an average Indian adult.

Instead of taking such regressive measures to obtain short term solutions to problems, we should think of addressing them from a long term point of view. A legislation can be passed that makes it compulsory for cable TV to be routed through set top boxes which can provide access to adult certified programmes only with a password. This will surely help to make sure that the TV is not misused by kids in the absence of adults. Maybe this solution of mine is too feeble. But, I am sure that we Indians can think of some effective way of protecting our kids from adult material. We are not that bad, are we???

So, Your Honour, although your intentions may have been noble, the way to implement them that you have put forward is certainly not. Surely, you do not want to go back to the Doordarshan era or, maybe you do???!!!!