The Hindu Huddle 2025: Nandita Das, Shahana Goswami and Jeo Baby discuss censorship and OTT platforms-OxBig News Network

Films that are being made in India now face three kinds of censorship, said Nandita Das, filmmaker and actor, speaking at The Huddle by The Hindu.

“One is [from] the official body; then many of us have to self-censor. Then there are some self-proclaimed custodians of culture,” she said, adding that free speech is fundamental for any form or art, literature or expression to thrive.

Noting that the variety of films that are being made today are not reflective of the variety of stories that exist in the society, Ms. Das said that filmmakers creating redlines for themselves pose the greatest threat as they kill their voice almost voluntarily. Actor Shahana Goswamy added noting that censorship is imposed by OTT platforms as well as they fear backlash.

OTT and market forces

While the emergence of OTT platforms was initially considered a boon for independent movies and regional cinema, the speakers pointed out that the difference between box office and streaming platforms has been shrinking over the years.

Malayalam cinema was one among the Indian film industries which received unprecedented pan-Indian attention since the pandemic period, thanks to OTTs. However, Jeo Baby, filmmaker, pointed out that last year only 4-5 Malayalam films, among the 80-odd total movies produced by the industry, made it to OTT.

“The industry is at a loss, and we are facing a crisis to sell our own movies,” said Mr. Baby.

Ms. Das seconded it, noting that for every independent film which made it to OTT, 100 others didn’t. “Theatre and OTT are not very different. The parameters remain the same. The range of movies is decreasing because of market forces,” she said.

No support

Ms. Das also highlighted the absence of a government body to encourage and support independent films. “Earlier, we used to have NFDC [National Film Development Corporation of India]. Now, there is no replacement. We can’t expect private producers to step in, see cinemas as forms of art and do something for the love of cinema. It is true that in our country, economics interferes with art, and we have such a big mainstream cinema industry, the independent voices often get lost.”

Mr. Baby, nevertheless, felt that the audience and film industry in Kerala, were supportive of good cinema. “We have a wonderful audience in Kerala… lots of Malayalam movies after 2015 got pan Indian reception. We are trying to do something differently, including our actors. For Kaathal, if there’s no Mammootty, there’s no movie. He also produced the movie. That [is the] kind of support we get from the industry, including from actors,” he said.

He also recollected how his sleeper hit, The Great Indian Kitchen, was made for festivals. Following the cancellation of film festivals due to the pandemic, the creators approached major streaming platforms and TV channels, only to face rejection.

The movie was later streamed on an OTT platform called Nee Stream.

“The movie then became a hit and it was re-released on Amazon. Then I started thinking why initially the movie faced rejection and realised all those who rejected it were men. The movie became a hit because of the women audience in this country. It was kind of a revolution from the audience, and the women audience proved the men’s decision was wrong,” he said.

Audience power

Ms. Goswami, who acted in Santosh, which was banned by CBFC, noted that the hope was with the audience.

“Thanks to the buzz of the film not coming out, people have pirated and watched it and I constantly get messages from them…That made me realise the audience wants to watch films they can connect to. They are intelligent enough. You need not give them one kind of cinema,” she said.

Opining that censorship should be to give rating for movies and to not stifle expression, she said, “Best thing to do is let everybody have the space to express what they want. And then let people choose to engage with them or not.”

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