Watch: The Female Gaze: Redefining Cinema on the Global Stage-OxBig News Network

Filmmaker and actor Nandita Das, actor Shahana Goswami and director Jeo Baby discussed censorship and OTT platforms in the discussion titled “The Female Gaze: Redefining Cinema on the Global Stage” at The Hindu Huddle 2025 moderated by The Hindu’s Shilajit Mitra.

Films that are being made in India now face three kinds of censorship, said Das. One is from the official body, then self-censorship and 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.

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

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

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