Chennai: Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) has pulled up Sun TV for a tasteless, violent gangrape and revenge sequence in one of the daily serial Kalyana Veedu. BCCC has ordered the channel to pay a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh, and also air a 30-second pre-recorded apology before every airing of “Kalyana Veedu” for one week.
Kalyana Veedu airs on Sun TV from Monday to Saturday on a prime time slot – 7.30 pm. The content aired on May 14th and 15th of 2019 carried a sequence where a female antagonist hires four men to gangrape her own sister. In a tasteless, long sequence, the character, Roja, instructs the men to be ruthless. In a later episode, aired on June 28, another character called Raja helps Roja exact revenge on the rapists by hacking some of them, and setting the others’ genitals on fire.
After several viewers complained, BCCC sent a notice to Sun TV on 27th June. Subsequently on 23rd August, a hearing was held. As per the order, both Sun TV and Thiru Pictures defended the scenes. The Producer of Thiru Pictures meanwhile argued that the complainants had not watched their serial “as a whole.”
Upon reviewing the episodes, BCCC has confirmed that the episodes have violated several rules laid down by the regulatory body and ordered the channel to pay a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh. The order also mandates the channel to air an apology before playing the episode for six consecutive days starting from 23rd to 28th September 2019.
The apology should be: “In compliance with BCCC’s directive of 23 August 2019, Sun TV regrets the prolonged depiction of women’s torture, including scenes of gangrape, in the episodes of ‘KalyanaVeedu’ on 14 and 15th May 2019 and the act of revenge shown in the episode of 28 June 2019. The channel accepts that the social messaging emanating out of the episodes was not constructive and such acts of atrocities committed on women should be condemned.”
A compliance report, along with the original clips of the apology, needs to be submitted at BCCC’s Secretariat on or before October 7.
According to the order, the complaints had stated that such conversation would “encourage atrocities against women, especially when it comes to sorting out family issues and that such content shown on a channel watched by millions will give new ideas to the younger minds.”
