On November 24; the Richie Mehta-directed Netflix original
web-series Delhi Crime; premised on the 2012 Delhi gang-rape; bagged an
International Emmy Award in the best drama category. While this occasioned much
celebration among Indian netizens, the outcry for banning Netflix India went on
simultaneously. #BanNetflix was pitted against #DelhiCrime. As the praises for Delhi
Crime poured in; so did the condemnations for Netflix India’s “inappropriate”
content. The spat began on 22 November with a furore over an on-screen kiss
between a Hindu (Lata) and a Muslim (Kabir) character in the backdrop of a
temple; featured in one of the latest Netflix productions; A Suitable Boy.
The members of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) took no time to rally
behind a campaign; demanding the ban of Netflix India. While
the campaign may not have particularly affected Netflix India in a significant
manner; both legally and otherwise, the glitches emanate from the nature of the
‘cancelling’ it endorses in the country. In fact, this may have been the nth
number of time when such a cancellation has taken place in India in the recent
past. It was not even long ago when {Jewellery designer} Tanishq’s
advertisement; showcasing a Hindu bride celebrating Diwali with her Muslim
in-laws; was cancelled and even faced with boycott and vandalism.
Cancel culture in the West
“Cancel Culture” can originally
be traced back to the West; be it in the context of the Republican
Conservatives or during the #MeToo movement in the recent past. The essential
ethos behind it is to silence an unprogressive standpoint as part of the
internet’s “woke” culture and socially block important persons/institutions,
especially influential ones; irrespective of their deeds/achievements.
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