I&B Ministry
States may decide Pak artistes films fate
NEW DELHI: The Central Government will not intervene in cases involving protests about Pakistani actors working in Indian films if the film had been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification.
Even as the controversy over Shah Rukh Khan having met a local part chief in connection with his upcoming film ‘Raees’ starring Pakistani actress Mahira Khan rages, the information and broadcasting ministry (MIB) sources told indiantelevision.com that this was more of a law and order problem which fell into the realm of the state governments.
In October this year, the Film & Television Producers Guild of India Ltd had expressed “genuine concern for all those film producers who invested heavily in films featuring artistes from across the border.”
Even as it expressed unflinching support to the Central Government and its solidarity with the Indian armed forces on their supreme sacrifice at Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) and courage and valor displayed during the recent counter-terrorism operations, it noted there had been some discourse in the media recently with regard to certain threats to disrupt the release of these movies.
The Guild, which represents most of the active Hindi film producers, there are many film producers who had either already shot their films or were in the process of completing their unfinished films prior to the escalation of hostilities with Pakistan. These included Karan Johar (‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ with Fawad Khan and ‘Dear Zindagi’ with Ali Zafar) which had also been certified by the CBFC and released.
Pakistani actor Fawad Khan was also seen in ‘Kapoor and Sons’, and earlier in ‘Khoobsoorat’ opposite Sonam Kapoor.
Meanwhile, the sources said no permission had been granted to any Pakistani TV or radio channel to broadcast in India.
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Bollywood supports Govt’s Pak policy; pleads for ongoing projects
Film Industry supports Govt on Pak but says do not stop ongoing projects
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
