On 6 March, the Delhi High Court ruled that the language used in one of The Viral Fever’s most popular shows, College Romance, is “obscene, profane and indecent”. Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma was hearing petitions by TVF, the show’s director and actors to quash a Rohini District Court’s order calling for an FIR under the Information Technology Act.
But my lord, if you were to walk through the corridors of any Delhi University college, you would hear the same language from the students. Would they all be booked under these sections?
The founder of TVF, Arunabh Kumar, has said that the series captures the essence of campuses like DU. The episode in question shows Naira (Apoorva Arora) threatening Bagga (Gagan Arora) that if he continues using gaalis (insults) in every sentence, she will not kiss or have sex with him. Toward the end of the episode, Naira uses the same gaalis that she had earlier objected to. The judge noted that the language used is “bound to disgust a normal prudent man, if heard in public”. She objected to the title of the episode.
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Everyday language in colleges
College Romance is one of TVF’s most popular shows. Directed by Simarpreet Singh, it quickly acquired cult status among students. The characters of Bagga and Naira quickly became fan favourites.
“Most certainly, this Court notes that this is not the language that the nation’s youth or otherwise citizens of this country use, and this language cannot be called the frequently spoken language used in our country,” the judgment noted.
As a Delhi University graduate, I know that giving gaalis is one of the most common occurrences not just in DU but colleges across the country. And it is definitely not restricted to the “youth” of the country. Curiously, one of the respondents is a Delhi University alumnus who argued that the language in the episode damages the reputation of the university and gives the “wrong impression” about its students. I wonder which Delhi University he went to.
In fact, Delhi in general is known for its ‘culture’ of gaalis. It is ironic then for a Delhi High Court judge to note that “this language cannot be called the frequently spoken language used in our country”.
The show was shot in the Echelon Institute of Technology, Faridabad. The college administration has not taken issue with the language used. In fact, the official YouTube channel of the college shared a video of the cast on their campus.
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Not the only show that uses this language
The language in College Romance is nothing out of the ordinary, even on screen. Expletives have been heavily used in popular shows like Sacred Games, Mirzapur and films like Delhi Belly.
The other point of contention is that the first season of the show is available for free, and without age restrictions on YouTube. The 41-page order notes how the language, which is being called by the show “normal college culture and lifestyle”, will make its way to school-going children and will be called “normal school culture” tomorrow.
The judge would be disappointed to learn that school-going children both on and off-screen are already using such language.
She also mentioned that she had to use earphones to watch the show because of the extent of the profanity used. To that I say, using earphones is generally a good practice when viewing anything on one’s personal devices so as to not disturb others.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)