Things That Bang

Censoring Liberty: Sach Ka Saamna

There is no denying the fact that Sach Ka Saamna is an obscene show that thrives on voyeurism and titillation. The polygraph machine is used as the god who judges whether the answers provided by the contestants are true or false and there is no way of knowing whether the show is rigged or not.

The government has slapped a show-cause notice on Star Plus that hosts the show:

The ministry has found Sach Ka Saamna violative of Articles 6(1) a, d, i and o of the programming code of the Cable TV Network Act, 1995. “A show-cause notice has been issued to Star Plus in light of the Rajya Sabha discussion. The channel has been asked to respond by 4 pm on July 27,” a ministry official said.

Recently another form of entertainment that found itself in a hot spot was Savita Bhabhi, a pornographic cartoon site, which quietly folded up after being banned by the government and due to the censorship and family pressure suffered by the owner of the site.

Savita Bhabhi was vulgar and so stupidly nymphomanic that no one in their right mind took her seriously. But she was pillaged by certain sections of the society and the government who wanted to save the honor of the Indian women and ensure the young impressionable minds remained incorruptible.

Similarly Kamal Akhtar of Samajwadi Party rose to save the honor of Indian society by wondering what impression was made on the husband when his wife was asked a lewd question and the polygraph machine said her reply was false.

He left out the entire background story that the wife with her husband's consent was cleaning her dirty laundry in public. No one forced her into it and she was an adult who knew what she was getting into.

As the host of Sach Ka Saamna Rajeev Sabharwal notes,

I am happy to see my country evolving. I was so moved while shooting each episode and i am so glad that there were so many who felt the same while watching it. This means that we are willing to break free from our pseudo approach to others. Double standards are dying. We cant have one rule for us and another one for someone else. As you watch other episodes unfold onscreen you will be pleasantly shocked and surprised to see that there are some people who will deserve a standing ovation not for what they have done but for the way they came forward, apologized and confessed. We all commit mistakes and we all hurt our close ones but how many of us accept it leave alone confessing and apologizing?

He goes on to add about the first contestant,

I spoke to Smita Matai a few days back. It was one of the happiest moments of my life when she told me that everyone who walks up to her feels proud to have met her. People on the roads and in multiplexes where she has visited off late do not just recognize her but also acknowledge her courage and confidence. And more then that she and Tony(her husband) have come even more close since the episode was air. Isn't it a reflection of a growing, mature and positive India.

The viewers too watched the show on a paid channel on their own volition. But these facts are of little relevance to those who hold the reins of our country or to the moral brigade who want to save our country from 'Western' influences.

They deny the existence of Indian aunties who in their see through nighties knock on the door of bachelors asking for sugar or the ladies in lonely marriages having discreet affairs. The underbelly of India is voracious in its sexual appetite and yet a handful of middle class prudes get to decide the moral code of an entire nation.

They’d rather we all sat and watched dumb pativrta Ekta Kapoor wives weeping their wimpy eyes over their tall fair silent husbands instead of paying heed to dark fantasies or observing others who bare their souls for money.

What is also blatantly denied is that shows like Sach Ka Saamna and pornographic sites enjoy a massive Desi fan base.

Or they probably believe that we, like little kids, need to be saved from ourselves.

Fat chance of that happening since the Desi public in general are Johns addicted to the incorrigible salacious whore called Liberty who finds some alley or dark corner to spread her legs and provide illicit pleasure. But once she becomes main stream death by the conservative batons is assured.

The Desi Johns, however, continue to thrive and move on to greener pastures and Liberty finds herself born again in some other net cafe or titillating television channel. The Johns along with those who 'merely' come along for the ride cheer her along till the lights come up and she is bludgeoned to death.

With every rebirth, she leaves a stronger impact on society. Her past sin seems less shockable than her present deeds and with every violent act committed against her more insidious do her disciples get in bringing about her re-birth and renewal.

The moral brigade scream hoarse in the halls of Parliament or push ban buttons while sitting smug on their bureaucratic chairs but till the time the Desi Johns have libidos and Janes giggle their consent, Liberty returns only to die again and in the process lays out our whorish natures to the sun a little more.