Censor board honcho Joshi slams TV debates for 'language extremism'

Panaji: Censor board Chairman Prasoon Joshi on Sunday took a dig at television debates, saying "byte-based, one-line sort of arguments are resulting in language extremism". The noted lyricist-poet said that the country will have to find a new way to listen to the arguments and also win them.

"We, in this country, (if) want to be truly democratic, will have to find a new way to listening to arguments and winning the arguments. It can't be this byte-based, one-line sort of argument. This is language extremism," Joshi said.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief was participating in an interactive session during the 'India Ideas Conclave 2017', an initiative of the India Foundation. "So many times you look at the people in the arguments and you will feel they are helpless," he said, referring to the contemporary debates on news channels.

Joshi said that debating on the small screen has become a privilege for a select few. "A few privileged in the country have been very irresponsible. To be able to argue on television today is a privilege."

Such debaters believe they know the structure and lexicon of arguments and are hence better placed to win them, the 46-year-old Padma Shri award winner said.

"So the people who are not trained to argue, their voices are not heard in the whole ecosystem. Even before they formulate the argument, you have dismissed them. I think the people trained in (making) arguments are taking undue advantage," Joshi rued.

Joshi said the entertainment industry is facing newer challenges with digital media gaining momentum day by day. "(Earlier) people used to wait for one film that was up for a release. But now they are smacking it (the movies) the whole day... They watch it on YouTube or television."