“Once bitten, twice shy”. The adage seems to hold true for Prime Video India more than any other Indian OTT platform these days. The streamer wants to take no chances when it comes to offending the sensibilities of Indian viewers. So, in a cowardly move, Prime Video India has censored a few scenes from the just released ‘The Boys’ Season 3. Self-censored is more like it – no authorities have asked Prime Video India to do the aforementioned. The decision to censor a few graphic scenes from The Boys Season 3 Episode 3 were the platform’s alone. The censoring of The Boys Season 3 was first noticed and covered by credible journalist, Aroon Deep.
The fact is that Prime Video India is running scared. Despite it being a deep-pocketed behemoth, owned by one of the most powerful corporate entities in the world. Prime Video India is scared of what the inscrutable people of this country will take offence to next. The scenes that Prime Video India has censored from The Boys Season 3 depicts close-up shots of male genitalia, wherein a Supe shrinks himself to a tiny size and dives into the urethra of his partner. Both the male and female privates have been blurred in the Indian version of The Boys Season 3 Episode 3.
Prime Video India is obviously fearful of facing backlash in the country over unforeseen scenes. The memory of what they went through when they premiered shows like ‘Tandav’ and ‘The Family Man’ Season 2 on the Prime Video India platform is still fresh on their minds. Both series had to be censored, with scenes/dialogues chopped off to appease incensed parties.
Previously too, Prime Video India has self-censored potential controversy-generating content in India. In May, the OTT platform censored a few scenes of male full frontal nudity in American Gods. Madam Secretary Season 5 Episode 1 is still not available to stream on Prime Video India. The reason is that it references the Kashmir issue, labels the region as India-occupied Kashmir, depicts atrocities on religious minorities in the country, and so on.
But censoring an extremely popular show like The Boys is taking things a bit too far. Far more graphic images stream freely and openly on Indian OTT platforms. Normal People on Lionsgate Play shows Paul Mescal in all his naked glory, manhood and all. Likewise with Adam Demos in ‘Sex/Life, and multiple actors in Euphoria on Disney Plus Hotstar. It is quite weird on Prime Video India’s part to step in and censor male nudity. Politically and religiously sensitive content is one thing, nudity another thing altogether. It is safe to assume that Indians are now quite immune to watching nudity on screen, given the stratospheric rise in streaming entertainment.
We hope good sense will prevail, and Prime Video India will restore the original, uncensored version of The Boys Season 3 in India.