Maanvi Gagroo: OTT doesn’t need censorship but regulation

By Yashika Mathur Mumbai, Jan 30 : Actress Maanvi Gagroo says her opinion on OTT censorship has changed over the years. While she was wholly against the idea till a while back, she now feels some sort of a regulation is necessary, though it need not be censorship.
“Earlier I was against censorship and I thought there should be self-censorship. If I am an adult and I am 18-plus, I should be able to watch whatever I want. OTT is not like television that you switch it on and whatever comes on, you will have to watch it. There are many steps of filtration in OTT — like downloading, subscribing and choosing content,” Maanvi tells IANS.
However, something did change her mind subsequently.
“Now I feel when anything becomes popular and the numbers start increasing, you have to bring some sort of regulation so that nothing is exploited. Regulation does not necessarily mean censorship. Regulation means you keep an eye on certification,” the actress says.
She adds: “A lot of shows on platforms run disclaimers for violence, drug abuse, and nudity. If you still watch it, you can’t blame the makers. However, sometimes the government has to step in. For example if the authorities feel that something can incite violence, they will try to stop it. There is a thin line on how you define something as offensive. Censorship also comes in with other socio-political milieus. Censorship shouldn’t be much on OTT, but there should be a process of certification and regulation.” Maanvi is part of one of most successful OTT stories, “Four More Shots Please!” She plays Siddhi, and is all set to reprise the character in the third season of the web series and will start shooting for it soon. The bold and fun series, too, has been subjected to raising eyebrows owing to its contemporary theme of showing fierce and independent women living on their own terms.