Are OTTs becoming a threat to society?

- Dexter

- The murder of Shraddha Walkar has made everyone think that the youth generation of the country is not being diverted from the wealth of anti-social issues on OTT? Even if we give the benefit of doubt that such crimes have been committed before, it cannot be denied that OTT has many profound effects on the youth.

Shraddha Walkar was brutally killed by her lover Aftab. Aftab got his inspiration from watching the 2006 American crime series 'Dexter', about forensic technician Dexter Morgan. Morgan, who works for the Miami Metro Police Department, specializes in bloodstain analysis. The other side of his life coin is desperate. Dexter is also a serial killer. It kills the murderers who escape the clutches of the law.

A few days ago, a show called 'Damer-Monster: The Jeffrey Damer Story' hit 0000 streams on Netflix. What is in this show? It is a fictional biopic of a real American serial killer named Jeffrey Dahmer. This devil, who was homosexual, killed 17 men-boys, dismembered their bodies. He was not only a killer, but also a cannibal. He used to eat the flesh of those whom he had killed. This Netflix show remained in the top-ten worldwide for a long time. Even in India.

Many Hindi films of the 1970s and 1980s featured characters like Dexter. Those characters take up the law to fight injustice. Even so, films have not nurtured crime in the way that OTT platforms are perhaps nurturing. Films have never made inroads in the hinterlands of the country. Television has also not given undue impetus to crime. Even TV could not reach every corner of the country. There is a distinct excess of culture, customs, practices, family values ​​in TV. The majority of TV viewers are women and the elderly. Young people are less connected to TV.

OTT is in everyone's hands across the country. Even hinterland Indians watch OTT. OTT platforms are not subject to strict censorship like film or spontaneous censorship like TV. In the name of freedom of expression, OTT has put me at a disadvantage. Crime, sex, addiction, scandals, dirty and strained relationships, the country's laughter... everything is found in OTT's mega goods and that too in bulk.

An average Indian watches eight and a half hours of OTT a week. OTT is capturing the minds of many, especially teenagers and young adults. If the youth is balanced, it is good and if it is bad, it is dangerous. A section of youth is watching OTT. Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sex, obscenity, promiscuity, insulting elders, arbitrary behavior... A section of the youth has nothing to worry about. They don't care if OTT causes insomnia, depression, obesity, eye disease.

OTT is accessible due to internet. Unlike TV or movies, it has the privacy to watch what everyone likes. Maximum programs of OTT are made for the age group of 18 to 30 years. It is also in such a way that they become obsessed with it. Binge watching means dropping everything and watching an entire web series at once is an obsession.

OTT has increased crime tendency among youth? Many actors and creators, including most psychologists and doctors, believe so. Not a class but believes. The non-believers are of the opinion, 'Shraddha Walker's case has come up by chance. Such crimes were happening even before the advent of OTT. Also, many crimes (not caused by OTT) go undetected, as smart criminals are masters at outsmarting the police.'

Famous actor Adil Hussain, who starred in 'Delhi Crime' season two, described the situation as horrifying and said in an interview, 'Many shows celebrate the dark side of man in the name of showing it. The only remedy to stop this is for creators to ask themselves why, what, for whom am I creating? Do I create awareness or create a bad sensation by making this?'

Let's talk about sex. There is plenty of it. Recently, the Supreme Court slammed TV Queen Ekta for her show 'Triple X'. The Supreme Court gave a strong word of unity and said, 'You are polluting the youth of the country. Your show is available everywhere through OTT. What choice are you giving the people?'

To think that sanity is lost when foreign shows are railed and rebellious Indian creators make shows that they like to do their own thing. The cure is probably censorship. Even though the creators don't like it, but what happens? Indians are not well educated like westerners. Not so rich. Stress and distress are intimate and inevitable problems of our society. OTT platforms are acting as catalysts in turning the already hectic lives of Indians on the right path.

Cases of mass shootings are being reported every night in the improved, wealthy, well-educated America. In many cases, the motive of the perpetrator of the crime is to do something exciting. To some extent, the anti-social aspect being portrayed in films, TV, OTT, novels etc. in the name of creative freedom must be responsible for this state of affairs. God forbid India never reaches that point.

Crime shows are made for crime...really?

For generations we have had a craze to copy western culture. In the age of internet, its significance is being created. The country now has a large affluent middle class. Money and means have given the youth the monopoly of spontaneity.

Almost all OTT shows are made with binge watching in mind. Binge watching is actually an addiction.

OTT shows nurture vices such as blasphemy, hatred, sexuality, rebelliousness, dishonor of the country, disregard of law, neglect of religion and customs. Such vices attract the fickle youth and encourage them to become rebellious.

According to an estimate, 20 percent of the shows watched on OTT are Hindi and the rest are foreign. Nowhere else are more baddies spilling over into foreign shows. Taking this point forward, many argue that it does not make sense to impose censorship on OTT creations.

Earlier, crime shows on TV took over the country. Now there is plenty of it on OTT. Such a ridiculous claim could not be any other than that such shows tend to indulge in crime.

In a survey, 32.60 percent of viewers admitted that OTT shows have a bad psychological effect on them.