DNA Edit : Netflix blues- Propaganda by humour is the latest weapon

One subtle way of propaganda is to use humour and the liberal arts to make a point, however demeaning and one-sided. And if the cast of characters includes a well-known Indian liberal, a couple of famous NRIs with similar inclinations and a globally popular platform to showcase their wares, the ensemble is complete. 

A Mumbai activist has filed a complaint against US-based digital media platform Netflix for defaming Hindus. He has sampled some examples. The Sacred Games series produced by that dyed-in-the-wool liberal Anurag Kashyap, shows Hindus responsible for all crimes happening in the world, including the US killings. ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, a revered Vedic hymn has been framed as a war cry. The film runs down the concept of the Guru-Shishya tradition, with overtly sexual gestures, says the complaint. A well-known social reformer of India is fondly called Guruji - presumably the highly influential second sarsanghchalak of the RSS- Guru Gowalkar, and this series appears like an attack on him. Cleverly, and in an attempt to avoid controversy, the producer suggests that the character is based on Acharya Rajneesh. 

Another web series, Leila, propounds that an ‘Aryavarta’ will be established in the country. It will be a land of bigots, casteists, Muslim-hating and women-hating patriarchal people, the complaint alleges. As for the Patriot Act, stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj, an Indian origin artist, is seen propagandising against abrogation of Article 370, while the horror series, Ghoul, indicates that India, in order to curb extremism, is terrorising Muslims and snatching their fundamental rights, according to the complaint. The Indian Army is shown as one specialising in custodial killings. Clearly, the time has come for a Central Board of Digital Certification, on the lines of an oversight committee that looks at media and cinema.