John Oliver slams Hotstar for censoring his episode on Modi
Quite recently, Hotstar, one of India's leading streaming companies, blocked the release of a fresh episode of comedian and TV host John Oliver's satirical news show Last Week Tonight, which was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies. Now, the comic has hit back at the Disney-owned platform for pulling the episode and also claimed it previously edited several of his episodes.
The said episode aired in the US on February 23
The said episode, which aired in the US on Sunday, February 23, was scheduled to arrive on Hotstar on the succeeding Tuesday (February 25) but was never released. It showcases Oliver criticizing PM Modi and discussing the aftermath of the passing of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), in context with the US President Donald Trump's first official trip to India.
Here's what Oliver said during the episode
"While Modi may have charmed Bear Grylls, the world, and our current president, in India, he is an increasingly controversial figure because his government has pursued a steadily escalating persecution of religious minorities," Oliver said in the episode. "...For perhaps the first time in Modi's whole career, his actions are creating a massive and sustained backlash," he added. Oliver also discussed the controversial NRC.
This isn't first time Hotstar censored Oliver's show
Now, in his latest episode, that aired on Sunday, Oliver called out Hotstar for not releasing his show's episode, adding that this is not the first time that the streaming giant censored his show's content. He noted that Hotstar previously deleted a couple of Disney-related jokes from his episodes. Notably, Disney owns all Star India properties, including Hotstar, under a deal struck last year.
Hotstar cut bits where Oliver joked about Disney's cartoons
Apparently, Hotstar also cut out some bits where Oliver joked about Disney's cartoon characters. In one such joke, Oliver referred to Mickey Mouse as a "drug-addict", and in another, the comedian joked about Donald Duck's as being "shaped like a corkscrew." "I frankly resent that factually accurate joke being cut out almost more than I resent our Modi episode being pulled," Oliver said.
Oliver even brought a 'Lion King' reference to mock Hotstar
Referencing the character he voiced in The Lion King, a movie produced by Disney, Oliver said, "And let me say this to Hotstar right now. If you think that you have to remove anything that reflects poorly on Disney...I have bad news for you, my friend. I'm f*****g Zazu right here." "Everything that comes out of this beak is a Disney fact," he added.
Oliver called Arnab Goswami the 'Tucker Carlson of Indian TV'
Oliver also shared a clip of Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami's rant against him, that came after the Modi episode. In the clip, Arnab refers to Oliver as an "ignoramus of exceedingly global proportions" and "not even smart enough to be a satirist." In retort, Oliver mocked Arnab and called him the "Tucker Carlson of Indian TV", referring to the conservative Fox News host.
