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E-Pao! Opinions - In defence of artistic freedom

In defence of artistic freedom
By Ranjan Yumnam



David Ogilvy, the legendary ad maker once said, "Customer is not a moron; she is your wife". Though he said this in regard to marketing, the underlying wisdom is equally true for artistic expression in any mass medium; be it TV, newspaper or celluloid.

It is in keeping with this dictum that film-makers make only the movies that they presume audience would like. Television programming of most channels too is often the outcome of painstaking research of the viewers' preferences and not made on the basis of whims and fancies of the broadcasters.

Editors of newspapers agonize almost daily not only over the accuracy of the journalist's reports, but also subtle use of words and phrases so that no subjective error might creep into the final copy which may cause offence to the sensibilities of the readers.

So, more often than not, it is the self regulation and censorship that is in play that determines the limits to artistic expression that one can freely enjoy. The fact is that, for instance, even if a maverick film producer makes a movie that is replete with vulgarities and obscenities from the first scene to the last cut, the public will reject it as a tasteless film deserved to be thrown to the dust bin.

The film will most probably be branded as porn stuff unworthy for civilized family viewing. And what is worse, the movie will bomb at the box office. This last factor alone can deter any film maker to even dare think of making a movie that may outrage the public.

So the principle that should be etched in words of gold is:
"Consumers are the king. Win their approval, you are a champion;
offend them, you are doomed".

The corollary to this should be:
"You can't do anything without the consumer's nod".

But something quite the opposite is happening in Manipur. Public is denied what it approves and craves for, namely Manipuri music videos. As TV viewing public, we the Manipuris have a rightful say on what to censor and what to see in the local cable network that has been beaming a multitude of programmes, and among them featuring the wildly popular Manipuri music videos.

Manipuri public is smart enough to discern what is acceptable and what is morally repugnant. Do we need any moral and cultural police to tell us what to see and what not to see on the TV? Though there may be political grounds for enforcing a blanket ban on Hindi language TV channels (which is understandable to an extent), it becomes absurd when Music videos made by Manipuris, for the Manipuris and of the Manipuris are banned on the specious grounds of indecency/vulgarity. Had there been excessive and objectionable vulgarities in any scene of the albums, the public would have been the first to feel outraged and seek apology from the culprit producer of such videos. The public didn't. So, it can be assumed that the album makers have so far treaded within the limits of decency set by the public.

And as I have already stated above, no producer can afford to antagonize the sensibilities of the consumers, which in this case is the whole TV viewing Manipuri public.

Moerover, we are still a conservative close knit society based on familial ties, and most of our values are more or less moralistic. I doubt if this feature of the Manipuri society can be changed overnight by the influence of some innocuous music albums. If at all there must be a censorship body to regulate the content of the videos, it must include among its members competent professionals of unimpeachable integrity and judgment drawn from the film fraternity and not from politics.

It should be a democratic set up that respects rules of law and amenable to suggestions. In other words, the body should not function arbitrarily like Taliban clerics. This is important as justice must not only be done but also seen to be done.

If the ban on music albums continues for a long period, it definitely would be a big setback for the fledgling industry which is showing signs of early brilliance, despite many odds. The indiscriminate ban is like setting the entire house on fire to kill a small rat. Instead the ban should have been applied selectively to punish the problem videos only (so that not all the videos are affected).

We the consumers have every right to enjoy a good night's entertainment with the family after the hard day's work. After all we need an escape route away from the turmoil of bitter realities facing Manipur. Whoever is enforcing the ban should realize this and leave some aspects of our life to ourselves. The banwallahs may have a valid and irrefutable reasons for what they are doing, but we need to draw a line somewhere between activism and intrusion. Politics is ok, but when it encroaches upon our privacy and hinders common man's normal lifestyle, it is reprehensible.

The ban on Manipuri music album raises critical issues of freedom of artistic expression that cannot be shrugged easily. I hope, at least, my fundamental right to express my opinion on this issue is still vested with me. All the best to myself.


* The author is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi. The author can be reached at [email protected]

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