OTT regulations are an area of concern, but important: Devgn
Actor Ajay Devgn on Thursday said the digital space needs to be regulated "to a point" because, with complete freedom, people will take advantage of the medium. The Centre on February 25 had notified new rules and guidelines for OTT (over-the-top) platforms and digital news media, requiring them to make public their details and having a grievance redressal system in place.
Hope regulations aren't a step in the wrong direction: Devgn
Devgn, who's gearing up for the release of his feature film Bhuj: The Pride of India on OTT, said he hopes the regulations aren't a step in the wrong direction. "It is an area of concern to a point. To a point, it needs to be regulated but we should not start going backward," he said.
Fear isn't getting regulated, but what the regulations are: Devgn
"Regulations should be right. The fear isn't that it's getting regulated. The fear is what the regulations are," Devgn said. In February, the then Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar had held an interaction with representatives of various OTT platforms, including ALTBalaji, Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Jio, ZEE5, Viacom18, Shemaroo, and MX Player.
More clarity required on what could become problematic: Devgn
While addressing representatives of the industry, the former minister had mentioned that in the past, the government had held several rounds of consultation with OTT players and stressed the need for "self-regulation." Commenting on the same, Devgn further said the regulations should be in place to keep a check on any unwarranted content, but more clarity is required on what could become problematic online.
'Bhuj: The Pride of India' will be released on Friday
"If we don't regulate something, people take advantage. Four people taking advantage will spoil the name of the whole industry. If you don't regulate, people will start putting porn on it also. So regulations are important but there has to be a line drawn," he added. Bhuj: The Pride of India, headlined by Devgn, will be released on Disney+ Hotstar VIP on Friday.
The film was earlier set for a theatrical release
Billed as a "true story" of bravery, patriotism, and determination, the film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. It was earlier set for a theatrical release but headed to the streaming platform due to the coronavirus pandemic.
