India is no longer scared of controversial content

The newest fad that has taken the entire nation by a storm are short films. Initially stereotyped to be agenda-based or social message-based, these short films are no longer perceived in the same way . Now short filmmakers all over the country are breaking this typecast to display their creative stories through this medium. The biggest role in bringing about this change is played by the internet. Providing better connectivity with the masses, this medium has allowed a direct connect between the audience and the filmmaker. Now filmmakers do not need to wait till they get their break via some big banner, instead, with cheaper equipment available for shoot, they can easily show case their work for their targeted audience. 

The demand for short films have increased drastically over the past two years. With people getting busy in their everyday lives and the fast pace of life, their attention span has also reduced over time. Three hours long movies in a cinema theater is no longer exciting. Everybody has gone digital. Thus, short films have flourished in this change in lifestyle. And this has helped shorter narratives to do better. With YouTube and Facebook bringing video content to your desktops, laptops and phones, filmmakers can reach their audience anywhere and anytime. And with fast connectivity, filmmakers can get feedback immediately. Content gets noticed fast, which is a plus point.

The most major incentive that short filmmakers will get by showcasing their work in the digital space is that there is no censor board to stop them from doing so. Earlier, a lot of filmmakers used to make controversial short films, which did not get any platform for visibility as the topics covered in these films were enough to get them banned. Now with the help of the Internet, these films are not just getting the right amount of exposure but these videos will also be up on this digital space forever. Short film videos have always been part of YouTube’s repository of content. This helps creators gain a global user base. 

But that does not mean that any kind of content can be put up without fear. It is possible for the government to put a stop on certain videos that can be of objectionable nature by making the Internet Service Providers block them. But these blocking actions, a lot of times, brings certain content much more in public notice than it would have otherwise. Thus, even this works in the favor of content creators.  Thus, the digital space has indeed been a boon for short films based on scandalous topics. And with the mindset of the country changing, controversial topics are no longer a taboo, as today’s Indian is curious and the Internet helps satiate this curiosity. Thus, these short films skirting around controversial topics are actually welcome.

Priya Sanyal is a content producer for a leading digital media production company. She has written articles and blogs on various Bollywood topics