Renowned lyricist and CBFC Chairman Prasoon Joshi spoke about the excessive use of abusive language in web series and the dynamics of creative freedom during his session “Rajadhiraj: Love, Life, Leela” at Sahitya Aaj Tak. Joshi shared his views on the challenges of regulating OTT content, artistic expression and societal expectations.

“A lot of people come to me with complaints about OTT content, but it does not come under the purview of CBFC. They have a different process for certification,” Joshi clarified while addressing concerns about content regulation on streaming platforms.

Talking about the use of abusive language in the web series, Joshi said, “The streets are used by other people. If your vocabulary is short then you resort to abuses.

He further added, “When you want to express yourself quickly and you can’t find the right words, you rely on abusive language to get your point across. But people who love language express their thoughts. Lazy people look for the right words, hard-working people don’t.

As a creative person, Joshi reflected on her time as CBFC chairperson and the challenges that came with balancing artistic freedom and societal expectations.

“Life is a vantage point. Everyone has different opinions. A filmmaker doesn’t create misconceptions about society – it’s all about perception. Your approach to creative work may be different from others. My approach has always been to engage in dialogue rather than controversy. Dialogue solves many problems,” he explained.

Joshi also stressed the importance of dialogue in resolving disputes related to creative content. He underlined the importance of mutual understanding in the creative industry, saying, “There were many films that were considered problematic, yet they managed to be released after discussion.”

Prasoon Joshi is known for his songs in films like Hum Tum, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.