‘Vulgarity, nudity, abuse need to stop'; Salman Khan calls for censorship on OTT

Mumbai: At the Filmfare Awards launch on Wednesday night, Bollywood's "bhai," Salman Khan, was in his element. The Bollywood star entertained the audience with jokes about award shows and comments about how the five Bollywood superstars will continue to challenge the younger population. The actor also used the occasion to advocate for censorship on OTT, pointing out how "clean content" always performs better. Additionally, he stated that performers who are unwilling to take on bold roles are passed over, Indian Express reported.

He rejected the notion that OTT viewing is better than TV. He explained that despite being in the industry since 1989, he has never had to do it. “I really think there should be censorship on the medium. All these.. vulgarity, nudity, gaali galauch (swearing) should stop.”

Salman continued by saying that everyone now watches content on their phones, and even young children can access it. “Ab 15-16 saal ka bacche dekh sakte hai. Apko acha lagega apki choti se beti ye sab dekhe… padhne ke bahane (15-16-year-olds can now watch this content on their phone. Would you like it if your young daughter watches it giving an excuse she is using the device to study). I just think the content should be checked on OTT. Jitna clean hoga content, utna behtar hoga, viewership uski zyada hogi (the cleaner the content, it will be better and will also have a larger viewership).”

He made fun of actors who let their guard down on screen by pointing out that the security guard at your building might also be viewing the content. "Apne sab kuch kar lia… love making, kissing, expose kar lia aur aap apne building mein ghus rahe hai aur apka watchman aapka content dekh raha hai (You have done it all – love making, kissing and expose in scenes. And when you enter your building, your watchman is watching the same). So, I just don’t think that’s right for security reasons. Also, we don’t need to do that. Hindustan mein rehte hai, thoda boht theek hai lekin itna zyada beech mein ho gya tha. Ab jake thoda control mein aya hai (You don’t need to cross the boundary. We live in India. It was way too much before, finally, it has been curbed). Now, people have started working on a lot of good and decent content.”

The Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan actor continued by saying that while some actors who are 'talented' are able to pull it off, those who are not at ease with it fall behind in the OTT competition. He questioned why OTT couldn't be censored if movies and TV shows could.

He also discussed the film industries' use of smaller cities for filming, noting the rebates they receive from these locations. According to Salman Khan, creators receive a rebate from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and even Haryana, and for low-budget movies, that is very important. He anticipated Maharashtra would begin the process as well in order to assist more people in the industry.