How Bold Is Beautiful?
This pandemic made us realize the importance of the internet and its valuable content. Numerous shows, series, and movies have taken over the OTT platforms. This has democratized content and has also brought the limelight to some brilliant artists. Along with these, the kind of content we consume has also changed. So have the content we are served. We have progressed and become more inclusive.
Thus, these include the increase in violence, intimacy, and more adult-rated content. This has also increased the criticism of uncensored content and several artists have been called out for the same. These bold scenes are popular yet criticized. Even the government moved the decision of every OTT Platform and digital media to the Ministry of Information and Broadcast.
The government will now have a say on the content on those platforms. Many people were outraged by this decision as the OTT platforms provide unique and diverse content than the mainstream Bollywood releases. However, these shows have tremendous viewers but are still castigated. These platforms are also the reason for some artists get a chance in the industry. Moreover, this kind of content has also given way to more brave creators producing content in the grey area.
Hue and cue of the controversies
The content provided on OTT is often distinct, relatable, and real. The cast of these categories needs to face many challenges from the media as well as the public. Thus, a small mistake is pointed out heavily on social media, and the artists are canceled. Moreover, the roles they play are also used to judge their character and personality. This has made artists become more paranoid about the choices they make.
However, people still choose to make brave choices and tell stories that count.
Outspoken cast
There are always some controversies going on for the actors performing bold scenes. Though the scenes, songs, scripts, and choreography are decided by others involved in the film, it is perpetually blamed on the actor. It is very difficult for someone, especially a female artist, to get into the industry and stay away from such judgment. However, artists do believe that the increases in bold content are due to the demand for these.
Recently, Paurashpur of Ekta Kapoor on alt Balaji shows an ancient story dominated by men and women feasting as a substance for men. The series involved many bold scenes to portray the suppression of women. Multiple web shows have increased the amount of sensual content in the past few years. Moreover, these have started to destigmatize the taboo around sex and sexual pleasure. Actors and filmmakers alike have made this clear time and again that the intention of such shows is more or less to increase awareness of sex education.
However, another counterargument that exists in the discourse is that they spread misinformation and create more harm to young minds who have little knowledge to comprehend. Another section accuses the media of polluting the country. Sometimes people go beyond the line and threaten and abuse the makers. However, do the content and actors really malign the country’s fabric?
How bold is beautiful?
Decades ago people only knew the desires, ambitions, and passions of man. But the world is changing and so does broadcasting. Now we can see the desires, passion, and ambition of women to normalize conversations around the sexual pleasure of women. For instance, Rani Mukherjee in Aiyyaa portrayed herself as a woman who desires a man and is tremendously attracted to him sexually.
The only problem that arises here, is when people interpret the bold scenes devoid of the storyline. However, keeping those norms aside, looking at those bold scenes only as a part of the storyline one can relish the content. It is just the perspective of how and what one can grab from content. Moreover, we need to appreciate and support content that chooses to make a change.
Beyond The Criticism
When we talk about the merits of being bold we talk about how outspoken and brave those artists stand. They choose to follow their dreams despite facing criticism. Utilizing the opportunities through the OTT platforms many new faces showed up their acting abilities. It is true that no matter if the actress or actor does any bold scenes or not they face criticism at some point in time. Moreover, these have made the general public more aware and understanding of some taboo topics.
Cinema and its traditions will change with time and technology. Big theatres were a part of individuals and society years ago when technology was costly and cannot spread vastly. But now the times have changed and content is available for everyone to choose from. The old concepts will change for good. This encourages artists for their skills. Being bold does not mean being shameless but being courageous and confident. The artists are not afraid of showing their talents and skills irrespective of any platform, script, or scene. It has become very important to discuss the presence of boldness in society. As it is time to generalize suppressed elements in our everyday conversations.
