I’d define ‘cinematic creativity’ as the vision for storytelling scripted by the filmmakers in context with the purposes of delivering content of entertainment value or the likes. In that sense, there are multiple reasons why movies in India, one of the largest movie industries in the world, do not get released in the cinemas, while most of them get heavily censored — meaning the so-called offensive scenes and dialogues are sliced by the CBFC and the original content is pruned to make it more viewer-friendly, so to speak. In short, what you eventually see on the big screen is not what the makers intended to showcase for the public. At times, the trailers depict one thing while the final cut of the movie does not have the scenes or the dialogues from the trailer which is disappointing! Luckily, nothing of that sort happened with ‘Sacred Games’ thanks to a platform like Netflix. Clearly, the likes of Netflix are not just an instance of a digital platform for streaming of original content, it’s an ecosystem for cinematic creativity and storytelling for filmmakers of any scale. It’s quite practical, that an underworld epic like the ‘Sacred Games’ would have been completely stripped off of its originality had it been released in the theatres in India, that lesson was bearing heavily on my mind as I was awed by the profanities in the script, albeit, it never seemed unwarranted or thrust upon us merely for its darker content. This is also an opportunity for a deserving sequel to a fully Indian-made series, what the magnificent Powder couldn’t achieve. Then again, unlike some other movies, there are those with a good content value which could never release in India for lack of a distributor which got a voice on this platform. ‘Sacred Games’ was brilliant, but I’d also say, “Viva, Netflix!”
censorship
Speak Up For An Open Internet In Canada
25 Canadian companies led by Bell have formed a coalition called Fairplay Canada and has approached the CRTC to create a non-profit body for blocking any Internet content which it deems to be engaging or facilitating piracy — without judicial oversight. So in response, members of the public, along with 32 companies and organizations from across Canada have come together to mark a National Day of Action on February 28th in opposing this SOPA-styled proposal. If you’re willing to add your voice in support for an open Internet policy you could do so through the DontCensor.ca website, by using the hashtag #DontCensor on social media or just by speaking up directly on the CRTC website.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Website blocking is a direct violation of net neutrality. While the federal government has made its commitment to the open Internet clear, proposals like this one directly undercut one of the central principles of Net Neutrality: No site blocking. Without judicial oversight, the FairPlay Canada proposal also opens the door for censorship in Canada. With the potential for shifting understanding of what content is to be blocked, and a lack of due process, legitimate websites not participating in any illegal activities will inevitably be caught up in this blocking mechanisms, placing a cumbersome burden on sites to prove their innocence after already being blocked — exactly the opposite of how we expect our judicial processes to function.[/perfectpullquote]
Michael Geist wrote a series of thoughtful blog posts on the topic which will give you all the ammo that you need to knock down this unfair proposal by Fairplay Canada. You will also find tons of material to share on social media in this Google Drive folder by primarily using the hashtag #DontCensor or by visiting this Reddit post for more details.
I support the open Internet which has become a medium for innovation and education for our kids and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, this invaluable choice to learn and create at our own free will cannot be undermined and held hostage through any means by crony capitalists.