Bollywood films, or web series, under the radar - are they able to motivate crimes?

By Rishika Shaw
It cannot be denied that Films/Web series are
highly impactful in today's world and
streaming services have a vast amount of
audience and assist Indians to showcase their
true talent. But several studies have found
that watching films and online streaming
content has direct or indirect effects on
youth. Approximately 41% of people believe
that crime-related content encourages
criminal activity in society.

Do you remember "Dexter", an American
series (2006)? The story showed that a boy
cut his lover's body into many small pieces.
In 2022, in a somewhat similar manner,
Aftab and Shraddha entered into a
relationship and started living together in
Delhi. He chopped Shraddha's body into 35
pieces. After murdering her, Aftab lived in
the same flat to avoid suspicion.
He bought a 300-liter fridge where he kept the body for 18 days.
Every night he would step out after 2
am to dump the body parts in forest areas
across Delhi. Later, a Delhi police source
revealed that Aftab had watched many crime
movies and web series including 'Dexter'
before committing the crime.
It's just one of many incidents where
someone committed a crime based on a
movie/web series.

In Uttar Pradesh, a guy named Ashwini
Kashyap, aka Johny Dada murdered a girl
named Nitika Sharma a Dubai-based flight
attendant whom he was obsessed with and
who was to get married to someone else, after
the crime, Kashyap reportedly posted a video
on his Tiktok that recites popular dialogue
from the film Kabir Singh, "Jo Mera Nahi ho
Sakta, use Kisi aur ke hone ka mauka nahi doonga".
There were several other crimes
related to the film 'Kabir Singh'. Though the
film does not promote murder, glorifying
such an aggressive figure has not pleased
many. The movie was already the subject of
controversy over its glorification of toxic
masculinity, and this latest incident has
created many more.
But this occurrence again puts Bollywood
films, or web series, under the radar - are
they able to motivate crimes?

A professor, said
"Definitely to a great extent. The public is the
consumer. They are not only watching it for
entertainment. They are consuming it. They imitate what is shown there. In these movies where so much aggressiveness, misconduct,
and misbehavior is shown, people take it as a
correct step and follow it. Secondly, It also
depends on the fan following the actor, as
people follow their idol without realizing that
they're playing a character in a movie.
The answer falls in both the zone
negative as well as positive.
Bartik Saha, a graphic designer, said, "But as
per some climax, it also creates an
unforgettable fear among people how
murderers or criminals are treated if they get
arrested."
"Content should be the way that teaches the
audience and changes society. It can be really
what is happening in the society but also
filmmakers should think about what impact it
can happen on the audience." Said the professor.
However, there are legitimate worries
about violent information. Because the
positive effects outweigh the negatives, it
is our responsibility to select the right
content for the right audience and to
protect young minds from vulgar content.
Censoring and controlling this type of
content might help people avoid
becoming victims of abuse or violence, as
well as offenders.