This article on ‘Supreme Court slams Ekta Kapoor for web series ‘XXX’: Facts and laws‘ was written by an intern at Legal Upanishad.
Introduction
In Indore, Madhya Pradesh, an FIR has been lodged against director Ekta Kapoor. She has been accused of insulting the national anthem, Hindu gods, and military members in Alt Balaji’s XXX online series, according to ANI. The contentious moment has reportedly been removed, according to Ekta’s officials.
The Gurugram police station’s Palam Vihar received a previous complaint about her. On the life of soldiers, XXX is based.
Major TC Rao, the head of the Martyrs Welfare Foundation (MWF), objected to the show because it showed spouses of soldiers having relationships with other men while their husbands were away on duty.
He told IANS that the material was “very offensive” and might “demoralize our armed personnel.” “Triple X-2 also features sequences in which military men’s uniforms bearing the Taj and the Ashoka emblem are torn apart. This constitutes an insult to the military and its members, added Rao.
“In a state like Haryana having representation of over 3.70 lakh army men,” MWF member Major SN Rao stated. They and former soldiers like us are being insulted by this. We will ramp up our agitation if Ekta Kapoor does not remove offensive parts from the web series.
In this article, we will explore the recent case where the supreme court criticized the famous Bollywood and Indian Television producer Ekta Kapoor for his latest web series “XXX”.
Background of the Case
Producer Ekta Kapoor was severely criticized by the Supreme Court for the “objectionable content” in her online web series “XXX”, claiming that she was tainting the brains of the next generation.
The statement was made during a hearing in which Kapoor was arguing against the arrest warrants that had been issued against her due to allegedly abusing soldiers and harming their families in the XXX episode that was shown on her OTT portal ALTBalaji.
“There must be action taken. The youthful generation in our country is having their minds contaminated by you. Everyone has access to it. OTT material is accessible to everyone. What kind of options do you offer the populace? Instead, you are contaminating the minds of children”, a panel of Justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravi Kumar declared.
The content is subscription-based, according to attorney Rohatgi, who is defending Ekta Kapoor, and there is freedom of choice in this nation.
The court then questioned what type of choice was being offered to people after deferring on imposing costs.
“We don’t like that you have to travel to this court every time. We will charge you a fee for submitting such a petition. Please tell your client this, Mr. Rohatgi. This court is not for those with voices just because you can afford to pay for the services of skilled lawyers.
This court represents individuals without a voice; if those with access to a variety of facilities are unable to obtain justice, consider the plight of the average person. The bench stated, “We have examined the order and we’ve expressed our concerns”.
A trial court in Begusarai, Bihar, had previously issued the warrant following an ex-complaint, serviceman Shambhu Kumar.
In his 2020 lawsuit, Kumar claimed that the web series “XXX” contained multiple offensive scenes involving a soldier’s wife.
Ekta Kapoor Controversies
Ekta has, however, previously made headlines for the incorrect reasons, so this isn’t the first time she has been involved in controversy. Let’s examine a few of these contentious issues.
Contract language referencing nudity: It was claimed in 2015 that she had included a nudity clause in her then-upcoming movie ‘XXX’, which starred Kyra Dutt. Model Kyra Dutt became the first to sign the contract, which the players of the erotic series were required to do to ensure that they would not hesitate or object to filming the explicit sequences.
Ekta’s debut programme: Jodha Akbar, caused a stir so when Rajput Kshatriya Akhil Bharatiya Chatariya Sabha objected, claiming that the serial was disseminating misleading information about Jodha marrying Akbar to preserve her father’s kingdom. There were also objections against the serial from certain other groups, who asked that it be canceled and insisted that a character named Jodha didn’t know to exist. The demonstrators even set Ekta’s effigy on fire.
According to a Times of India story, Rajeev Khandelwal, who rose to popularity as Sujal in the Balaji Telefilms television series Kahiin Toh Hoga, publicly declared that he did not require Ekta Kapoor in order to succeed. Ekta, who was furious, vowed never to collaborate with him anymore. Rajeev’s assertion that he did not enjoy Ekta’s TV programming caused the relationship to further deteriorate.
Smriti Irani leaving Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi: According to rumours, Smriti Irani left Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in 2007 after an argument with Ekta Kapoor, and Gautami Kapoor took her place. The producer decided to reinstate the real Tulsi (Smriti) on the show after the ratings fell. . Smriti was once more invited to take part in Ekta’s promotional programme Ek Thi Naayika, but she declined because of her connection to Indian politics.
It is not the first time that Ekta Kapoor has been related to controversies, but a common factor has been seen that every time she has been related to the controversy, that particular production of hers has been made popular among the public and she gets benefited.
Conclusion
Sometimes, it’s not the real issue. The controversies have been ignited just for the sake of grabbing attention and as promotional stunts. People have been made curious about the content so that they would develop an idea to watch the content, which made the content popular among the people.
Later on, when the subject became the talk of the town it gets the maximum attention from the public which in the end, profitability to such producers who are going to get the maximum benefit from such controversies.
But sometimes issue became crucial as in the one we have discussed so far. People related to the film industry have to understand the sensitivity of such issues and made the content with proper research on the subject matter. Manipulation or falsifying the facts will lead to dissent from the public at large. The religious and emotional values of the public should be respected.
References
- https://www-hindustantimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.hindustantimes.com/tv/fir-filed-against-ekta-kapoor-in-madhya-pradesh-for-her-web-series-xxx-alleging-insult-to-national-emblem-army/
- https://www-outlookindia-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/-xxx-to-nudity-clause-here-s-why-ekta-kapoor-is-controversy-s-favourite-child-news/
- https://www-indiatoday-in.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.indiatoday.in/amp/law/supreme-court/story/polluting-young-minds-supreme-court-slams-ekta-kapoor-over-webseries-xxx-