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For a show full of nudity, sex, drugs and even incest, it’s not entirely surprising that “The White Lotus” might be censored in certain countries. But a much less obvious scene was altered on third-party streaming services in India, while the threesome involving two brothers remained intact.
It’s actually the opening scene that was altered, in which Belinda’s son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) wades into a pond after hearing gunshots at the hotel. He looks up at a Buddha statue and begs, “Please let my mom be OK.” He says a Christian prayer and then, as more gunshots are fired, he looks up at the statue and says, “What the fuck! I said, don’t let anything happen to my mother, motherfucker!” The scene is intended to show Americans’ ignorance toward Buddhism and signal that this relaxing getaway in Thailand will be anything but relaxing.
Indian viewers reported — and Variety can confirm — that the scene was censored on the streaming platform JioHotstar, the largest streaming service in India. In footage from JioHotstar reviewed by Variety, Zion prays to the Buddha statue, but the scenes with expletives were cut entirely.
Per IndieWire, the streamer censored the scene without permission from HBO or a government mandate. This type of self-censorship is common on Indian streaming platforms who hope to preemptively avoid potential backlash or government scrutiny.
Variety reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery and JioHotstar, both of whom declined to comment.
Unlike the theatrical release of films, which are subject to clearance from the Indian government’s Central Board of Film Certification, streamers are urged to self-regulate content, albeit per government guidelines. In 2021, the Indian government’s Information Technology department published its “Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 2021,” which detailed the rules that would govern the social media and streaming sector.
For video streaming platforms, the code discusses levels of classification. “The most challenging themes (for example, drug misuse, violence, pedophilia, sex, racial or communal hatred or violence etc.) are unlikely to be appropriate at the junior levels of classification,” it states.
Elsewhere, the code is wide open to interpretation. “The tone of content can be an important factor in deciding the influence it may have on various groups of people,” it states. “Thus, films/serials that have a dark and unsettling tone may receive a higher classification. Other tonal considerations that might have an influence on classification include the extent to which the content presents a view of the world that is anti-life, pessimistic, or despairing or the extent to which transgressive or harmful behavior is condoned or made to appear normal.”
Religion is the topic most likely to cause offense in India today, though the code is ambiguous on this point too.
“The category classification of a content will take into account the potentially offensive impact of a film on matters such as caste, race, gender, religion, disability or sexuality that may arise in a wide range of works, and the classification decision will take account of the strength or impact of their inclusion,” the code says.
Thanks to the government encouraging self-regulation in the streaming sector, 17 of India’s leading streamers have adopted a self-regulation tool kit.
Streamers in India have been erring on the side of caution ever since Amazon Prime Video was forced to apologize for its Indian original series “Tandav,” some parts of which had offended members of the ruling Hindu nationalist dispensation. The series, created by Muslim filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, featured a scene in which a character, played by Muslim actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, portrayed the Hindu God Shiva. Prime Video quickly edited the scene and Zafar apologized. Amazon also issued a formal statement of apology.
Last month, celebrated Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur posted on X that his 1994 masterpiece “Bandit Queen” was “unrecognizable from my film.” “Someone has cut it beyond recognition,” he wrote. “And yet it carries my name as Director. And no one asked me! Are we lesser beings than Western Directors? Would they have the guts to cut a Chris Nolan film without his permission?”
“Prime Video has not made any edits to the version of the film ‘Bandit Queen’ currently streaming on the service. The version available on Prime Video is the version provided by the film’s distributor, NH Studioz,” a Prime Video spokesperson said in response.
The Indian self-censorship predates the 2021 guidelines. In 2020, Daniel Levy called out Comedy Central India when a “Schitt’s Creek” clip posted on X edited out the moment when Ted, played by Dustin Milligan, kisses Levy’s character David. “You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between two men?” Levy posted on X.
The Season 3 finale of “The White Lotus” airs on Sunday.
