Ektaa Kapoor distances herself from ALTT after government ban
What's the story
Producer Ektaa Kapoor has released a statement denying any association with the OTT platform ALTT, which the Indian government recently banned for allegedly streaming "objectionable" content. In her statement, Kapoor claimed that she and her mother, producer Shobha Kapoor, had stepped down from their association with ALTT in June 2021. Here is what her Instagram post said.
Statement details
'Balaji Telefilms is fully compliant of all applicable laws...'
Kapoor's statement read, "Media reports have been in circulation about ALTT being disabled by the authorities." "However, contrary to such reports, Ms. Ekta Kapoor and Mrs. Shobha Kapoor are not associated in any capacity whatsoever with ALTT, and they had stepped down from their association with ALTT way back in June 2021." "Balaji Telefilms Limited is fully compliant of all applicable laws and continues to operate its business with the highest standards of corporate governance," it added.
Government action
Indian government bans ALTT, Ullu
The Indian government recently ordered the blocking of 25 OTT platforms, including Ullu, ALTT, Big Shots App, Desiflix, and Boomex, among others, for streaming obscene and pornographic content. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took this action in consultation with other ministries and industry bodies like FICCI and CII. Notifications were issued to various intermediaries under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021, to ensure that access to these websites is disabled.
Content issues
'House Arrest' taken down by Ullu
The ministry said, "There was hardly any storyline, theme, or message in a social context (to the sexual scenes). A large portion of the content was obscene and vulgar." The ministry noted that the media carried by these OTT platforms sometimes had "long portions of sexually explicit scenes involving nudity, thereby being pornographic in nature." Earlier, the popular web series House Arrest was taken down by Ullu in May after intervention by the ministry.