Ad Filmmakers Term Centre’s Restriction on Condom Ads ‘Absurd’

Ad film makers lash out at I&B Ministry over ban on condom ads between 6 am-10 pm, call the move ‘absurd’

I&B ministry places restrictions on condom ads.

(Photo courtesy: iStock)

Wondering where the condom ads have disappeared while watching your favourite shows on TV? You will have to stay up till 10 pm to spot it. The I&B ministry’s decision to ban all condom commercials from national television between 6 am to 10 pm has kicked up a furore.

Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar believes that since advertisements cannot be aired unless cleared by the censor committee anyway, a blanket ban on the entire category is not justified.

“I’m still confused whether they are worried about the content of the ad or they are worried about the category itself. If they are worried about the category itself, then they are living in the dark ages because today the only safety that young people have is condoms. We should be teaching even kids as young as 12 sex education in school. If you ban condom ads on national television between 6-10, which is when the family actually watches TV what’s the point? If you have a problem with content, I buy that.”

Prahlad Kakkar, Ad filmmaker

According to the Government advisory, condom ads have been restricted to the air time between 10 pm and 6 am as they are ‘indecent’ and ‘inappropriate’ for viewing by children.

All TV channels are hereby advised not to telecast the advertisements of condoms which are for a particular age group and could be indecent/inappropriate for viewing by children. Therefore, such advertisements may be telecast between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM to avoid exposure of such material to children and to ensure strict adherence to the provisions contained in the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. Any failure will attract action as per provisions of the Rule

The advisory issued by the I&B Ministry to ban condom commercials between 6 am and 10 pm.(Photo courtesy: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting)

Ad film directors however, find the Centre’s move absurd and believe it may also backfire. With all the condom ads in the world available at the click of a button online, they believe the ban won’t serve the purpose mentioned in the advisory.

“It is totally absurd when young people have the whole of the net, which has a tremendous amount of pornography and all the condom commercials and is easily accessible as well. The point is when you ban something and tell them they cannot see it till 10 pm, they will stay up because they want to know what is it that they can’t see. They are not interested in what they can see, they are interested in what they can’t see. When you forbid something, it becomes more interesting to young people.”

Alyque Padamsee, Ad filmmaker

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has welcomed the move and told The Quint that the decision was made after several complainants approached the I&B Ministry and ASCI in the recent past regarding two issues - objections over content and air time.

Regarding the content of condom ads, our consumer complaints council found nothing objectionable because if you are doing a lingerie ad, you will show a lingerie, so some intimacy being showed is inevitable. However, regarding what time and channels these ads should be aired, that is isn’t in ASCI’s scope. This is a decision that MIB can take at their level.

Shweta Purandare, ASCI’s Secretary General

But condom ads have aired for years, why ban them now? “The public outcry happened recently because of the recent spate of ads where people have maybe stretched the envelope a bit. From ASCI’s point of view if advertisers regulate themselves and show that they are careful about what they are showing in their ads, there should not be a problem” said Ms Purandare.

The key question that most ad film makers and people are faced with is - what’s the yardstick for decency and appropriateness of an advertisement and who decides whether an advertisement meets this requirement? ASCI has clarified that their consumer complaints council, with its diverse representation of civil society members and advertisers, look into the matter.

It’s a 14-member committee that looks into any issue. They decide to take all aspects into consideration- what the product is, the way in which it is being shown because maybe what was considered indecent 30 years ago, could be alright now because we have evolved with time. It’s a subjective assessment but because there is not one individual deciding on it, there is a healthy debate. So that makes it easy for us to arrive at a conclusion.

Shweta Purandare, ASCI’s Secretary General

The ASCI has maintained that condom commercials cannot be equated with sex education advertisements.

Meanwhile, people took to social media to share their thoughts on the ban.