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Former Central Information Commissioner and cultural commentator Uday Mahurkar has once again taken a sharp stand against the propagation of vulgar and sexually explicit content in Indian media, accusing platforms, filmmakers, and even brands of pushing a dangerous agenda that erodes the nation’s moral fabric. In a detailed conversation, Mahurkar traced the evolution of this content ecosystem, called out high-profile personalities, and urged the government to act with urgency to combat what he labeled "cultural terrorism."
He warned that the damage done by “cultural terrorists” today could outpace centuries of destruction under iconoclast rulers. “Hundreds of years of Islamic rule by such iconoclasts as the Khiljis, Tughlakhs & Lodhis besides Aurangzeb could not destroy our culture. But these cultural terrorists will destroy it in a matter of few years if they are not stopped,” he said.
Criticising advertising’s obsession with showing “half-clad” and “less-clad” women to sell products, he demanded urgent action. “There has to be strict regulation. The regulation will apply to ad also. All audiovisual platforms. Not to films alone. Advertisers also.”
While he welcomed the government’s recent move to ban 25 apps, he called it only a beginning: “The ban by the government… is a good step. But just the first step.” Citing America’s harsh laws against drug peddling, Mahurkar said India should treat “perverted content” the same way, arguing it leads to “rapes, divorces” and is “destroying Bharat’s culture and character.” He concluded with a call for Parliament to strengthen the Indecent Representation of Women Act and ban pornography entirely.
Targeting OTTs, Films, and Brand Sponsors
Mahurkar didn’t mince words while speaking about the kind of content being created by platforms like AltBalaji. He referenced a disturbing storyline from one of her shows, alleging that it featured a character engaged in illicit relationships with family members—portrayed without any sense of consequence. “See what she is showing,” he said. “There is a man having illicit relations with sins—with his grandmother, stepmother, sister-in-law, and cousin sister.” For Mahurkar, this is not mere fiction—it’s the normalization of perversion under the guise of entertainment.
He criticized the motives behind such content, alleging that when he warned of action on February 24, some in the industry preemptively tried to deflect criticism by producing films like Sabarmati Report, a reference to the Godhra incident, attempting to align themselves with nationalist sentiment. Mahurkar claimed it was a strategic move to avoid legal scrutiny and retain goodwill with those in power.
From ‘Jism’ to Urfi Javed: A Cultural Slide
Mahurkar recalled the early 2000s film Jism as an early example of mainstream media pushing moral boundaries. At the time, he said, he was already warning senior leaders in closed-door RSS meetings about the risks of cultural degradation. He emphasized how exposure to repeated sexual imagery alters behavior over time, stating, “A person who sees repeatedly cannot save himself... knowing very well that what he is seeing is wrong.”
Today, he said, that trend has exploded across digital platforms and social media. He took aim at social media influencers like Urfi Javed, accusing them of deliberately “wearing obscene clothes and making obscene videos” for fame and money. “This is not fashion. It is cultural destruction,” he asserted.
A Moral Crisis Fueled by Pornography
Perhaps most alarming was Mahurkar’s connection between porn consumption and rising cases of sexual violence. Citing figures from anti-rape activists and legal experts, he claimed that a majority of rape cases now show direct links to pornographic content. He spoke of incidents involving minors—children as young as 10 or 5—who were raped by slightly older boys after exposure to explicit material on smartphones or tablets. “These cases were unthinkable even a decade ago,” he said. “Now it’s an orgy of 5, 6, 7, 10 years.”
Mahurkar mentioned activists like Yukita and Pratibha Desai, who, despite ideological differences with him, have admitted that porn is a significant driver behind sexual violence. “Whoever rapes, it happens through the phone,” he quoted one of them saying.
Demand for Stronger Laws and Brand Crackdown
To counter the spread, Mahurkar called for immediate and sweeping legal reform. “The Indecent Representation of Women Act must be strengthened,” he said, demanding that the maximum punishment be raised from 3 years to 10. He proposed stricter penalties not just for content creators, but for brands who sponsor and benefit from such content. “Even auto companies, with no link to entertainment, are sponsoring this filth,” he said.
Using the metaphor of colonial deterrence, Mahurkar suggested, “You have to hang one to make others fall in line,” referring to the need to make high-profile examples out of offenders to restore moral discipline. “They are cultural terrorists,” he declared. “The law must treat them that way.”
Mahurkar made it clear that he doesn’t remain silent when it comes to brands endorsing or associating with explicit or vulgar content. “It’s not like I sit quiet,” he said, referencing an incident where he publicly called out Mukesh Ambani’s family for inviting Ranveer Singh to Anant Ambani’s celebration after the actor appeared in an ad with Hollywood porn star Johnny Sins. “I tweeted it. It is the duty of civilized society not to encourage porn culture,” Mahurkar stated. He went further, tagging Mukesh Ambani in a tweet and writing a letter reminding him of his father’s legacy and urging him to live up to it. He also took aim at OTT platforms and advertisers who resist content regulation, pointing specifically to Jio. “OTT people are opposing the regulation… There is Jio in it,” he said, reinforcing his position that even powerful platforms should be held accountable.
Concluding his remarks, Mahurkar invoked a nationalist vision of a “Ganga-like India” by 2047—one that is not only economically and militarily strong but also morally and culturally intact. “Narendra Modi has done a lot for economic growth,” he said. “But will we be a pure country in 2047? That is the real question.”
And for that, he believes, India needs a new Shivaji. Not just to fight invaders from outside, but to battle what he sees as the rot from within.
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