Cherylann Mollan
BBC News, Mumbai
Bierbiceps / YouTube
Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as Beerbiceps, is a popular Indian podcaster
“Dirty.” “Mind Perverted.” “Disgusting.”
These are the words that the Supreme Court of India used Tuesday while giving provisional protection to arrest to a popular youtuber who was in the eye of a storm in the country during last week.
The fury started after Ranveer Allahbadia, whose channel YouTube Beerbiceps has eight million followers, asked a competitor the question: “Do you prefer to watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join once and stop it forever? “
The comments, made on the show, India was latent on February 9, sparked massive indignation, police cases and even death threats. YouTube quickly removed the episode, but that did not stall the wave of anger directed in Allahbadia and the spectacle.
In fact, the quantity of attention that the incident received is astounding: it made the headlines of the national newspapers, covered with prime time and some of the most important information sites in India have even managed live pages.
Not surprising, given the Star status of Allahbadia. He interviewed the federal ministers, the best celebrities of Bollywood, cricket players and Hollywood actors. And last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave him a “National Creators Awards” trophy.
Since the controversy broke out, Allahbadia and the creator of the show, Samay Raina, apologized for the comments and Raina eliminated all the previous episodes of the show. The Supreme Court in his recent order has prohibited Allahbadia from publishing content on social networks.
But the incident continues to do news,
“It looks like the state is trying to make an example of Allahbadia,” said Apar Gupta, founder of the Freedom Internet Foundation. Saket Gokhale, an opposition legislator, also condemned the targeting of Allahbadia and the show.
“The coarse content can be criticized if it offends you. However, you cannot have the state persecute and lock people to offend your” moral feelings “,” he wrote in an article on X.
The popular actor Vir Das has also weighed on controversy and criticized the news channels for their unidimensional incident coverage and for having adopted a derogatory view of all digital content.
The remarks of Allahbadia and the following reaction triggered debates on freedom of expression and the laws of the obscenity of India; He also triggered conversations around the thirst for viral content and the consequences that its manufacturers face when their contents cross the lines confirmed by the very people who look at it.
Getty images
The latest controversy triggered debates on freedom of expression and the law of obscenity of India
The Raina show, which made its debut in June, was popular from the start, each episode being seen tens of millions of times on YouTube. And that has also not avoided controversy.
The show has flattened bizarre performances and judges and competitors were seen making coarse and coarse comments more than a few times. Critics have accused the show of spitting misogynist views and for the guests of shame.
An influencer of popular fashion came out of the show after a male candidate compared her to a former adult cinema actress while another asked her questions about her “number of bodies” (a slang term For the number of sexual partners that a person has had).
But it also seems to have been the appeal of the show.
Fans of the show praised him for defending “raw talents and uncommon jokes”. Some said they liked the roasts – a form of insult’s comedy – which was popular in the series.
Experts stressed how, with the landscape of exploding entertainment, creators of digital content often feel forced to push the limits – even if it means using risk and obscene – just to obtain views and virality.
He is sure to say that the program has pushed the limits and buttons of many. But then he turned against him.
Samay Raina / YouTube
Samay Raina is a Popular Standing Comedian in India
“Lots of comedy, in particular of a certain male type, is cruel and strikes people. It has a violent undercover. So, if you contribute to this culture, it is not a shock if it comes back to One day bite you, “the filmmaker Paromita Vohra says.
She adds that the successful comedy calls for a refined consciousness of the public for which it is executed and what limits it can push.
Interestingly, the question of Allahbadia, which sparked the fury, was almost identical to the question posed by the host of an Australian comedy show called Truth or Boisson of Og Crew. Although the question has not aroused indignation in Australia, it took place in India.
“The Internet has enabled the content to reach spaces and people for which it did not play organically. Content without reflection can have unexpected consequences,” she said.
But she also says that it is necessary to protect himself against such questions a question of morality.
“When such controversies break out, there is always the risk that morality will be armed to punish people who have gone against what is accepted by society,” she said and adds that morality is moreover in addition to the legal framework of the country, which can have a division effect.
Some criticisms have also accused the authorities of using controversy as a smoke screen to divert attention from other pressing problems – such as unemployment and pollution. Some fear that the federal government will be used by the federal government to justify the regulation of content creation.
After the controversy, a report by NDTV News Channel said that a parliamentary panel was planning to make more strict digital content laws. The Supreme Court also put pressure for more regulations concerning online content.
Mr. Gupta says that the State already has a “enormous quantity of power” to pursue the people accused of brushing various laws on data and content and that if the State exercises its without restraint, the creators of content n ‘ have not as many legal guarantees to protect them.
“Instead of stricter laws, we need more reform; existing legal norms must be more tolerant of freedom of expression,” he said.
“Other systems, such as education and digital learning, should be reinforced so that young people know how to obtain their class studies and turn to internet only for entertainment.”
