After Amazon's Tandav hitting headlines, now Netflix's Bombay Begums is facing heat in India. The apex child rights body, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked Netflix to stop streaming series Bombay Begums citing "inappropriate portrayal" of children in the series.
On Thursday, the child rights body issued a notice to Netflix claiming that the inappropriate portrayal will pollute young minds and even result in abuse and exploitation. In the notice issued, the commission said, "Netflix should take extra precaution while streaming any content in respect of the children or for the children and shall also refrain themselves from getting into such things."
According to reports, the commission took action following a complaint received from two Twitter handles, which claims that the series normalises minors involving in casual sex and drug abuse.
In the notice, the Commission further said, "Therefore, you are directed to look into this matter and immediately stop streaming of this series and furnish a detailed action report within 24 hours, failing which the Commission will be constrained to initiate appropriate action pursuant to the provisions of Section 14 of the CPCR (Commission for Protection of Child Rights) Act, 2005."
Indian web series Bombay Begums explores the lives of five different women based in Mumbai. Written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, the series was released on Netflix on 8th March this year.
Earlier, several web series including Tandav and Mirzapur had created controversies for hurting religious sentiments and for soiling the image of the Uttar Pradesh town. Tandav, a political drama starring actors Saif Ali Khan, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Dimple Kapadia, purportedly provides a commentary on India’s political scene under the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi. Several members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have insisted that the government pull the series off-air or take out key scenes.
