Zoya on OTT censorship: 'Women were assaulted'

Zoya Akhtar recently marked her presence at the latest session of Expresso, held in Mumbai. The father-daughter duo opined on all things cinema, including

censorship

.
Zoya noted that it was ‘very important’ to showcase

consensual intimacy

on screen. She also added that she grew up at a time when women were bullied, beaten up, harassed, and sexually assaulted on screen.

She spoke about how all of those were okay, however,

kissing on screen

was not allowed. “All these were allowed, but you couldn’t see a kiss,” she said. The filmmaker opined that it is pivotal that people should be allowed to see love, tenderness, and

physical intimacy

between two adults. The audience at the session agreed with her opinion.
She also spoke about how every film has a tone, and every filmmaker tells a story in a particular way. “As opposed to Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, where the choices of showcasing violence were ahead of its time, the violence in

Tarantino

’s films is operatic. It is all about what you are trying to evoke in the audience. The French are more open with male nudity compared to the Americans. It depends on how comfortable you are with yourself, how you view sex, how you view your body.” she said.

Javed Akhtar stated that the intention is crucial, “If you are showing a love scene to titillate, that is different. If you want to evoke genuine romance and empathy, then it is different.”