Don't treat Sunny Leone as outcast: Justice Katju

Adult TV star Sunny Leone has an unlikely supporter. Press Council chief Justice Markandey Katju has said that Leone should not be treated as a social outcast and her past should not be held against her if her behaviour in India is "socially acceptable''.

Katju said he had not seen anything to suggest that Leone was indulging in pornography. Citing religious examples, he said, "Lord Buddha stayed with the courtesan Amrapali and ate food served by her, and she later became his disciple. Similarly, Mary Magdalene was a fallen woman (according to the Gospel of Luke as interpreted by Pope Gregory) and Jesus allowed her to wash his feet and she later became his disciple."

He added, "My opinion is that Sunny Leone was earning her livelihood in USA in a manner acceptable in that country, though it is not acceptable in India... if she conducts herself in India in a manner which is socially acceptable in India and does not breach the social moral code in India, we should not treat her as a social outcast.''

He was responding to a complaint by Dev Ashish Bhattacharya to I&B minister Ambika Soni and him complaining against inaction by Broadcaster Consumers Complaints Council regarding cross promotion by TV channel Colors of porn actress Sunny Leone.

"There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future," Katju said.

Leone's appearance on 'Bigg Boss' has been a subject of controversy for quite some time. BCCC had recently directed that Leone should not use the show to promote her pornography business. As many as 38 complaints had been made to the BCCC regarding Leone's appearance. However, BCCC has not found anything in the content of Bigg Boss-5 which by itself was violative of self-regulatory guidelines.

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Complaints against Colors channel for bringing aboard Sunny Leone

The Broadcast Content Complaints Council (BCCC) received 3,441 complaints in six months since its inception in June last year, with maximum against a Rakhi Sawant hosted programme and appearance of porn star Sunny Leone in reality show 'Bigg Boss'.

The self-regulatory body or TV channels has disposed of a majority of the complaints, officials said.
A sizeable 1,883 were found to be either not relating to the content of the channels or just suggestions.

In such cases complainants are informed that such complaints do not specifically relate to content and the BCCC is unable to consider them.

However, 479 did fall under the category of specific complaints which were heard by the Council and specific action taken.

Among these 36 complaints specifically raised issues related to the appearance of Leone on Colors Channel programme Bigg Boss 5.

Some of the complainants had claimed that children are being exposed to porn industry as they are getting curious to know who is a porn star.

BCCC in its order strongly objected to Leone using her appearance on Bigg Boss-5 as promotional material on her own websites and also advised the channel to choose future participants with care.

The number of complaints related to Leone was second only to the number of complaints received against the telecast of a programme "Gazab Desh ki azab Kahania" which was hosted by Rakhi Sawant on Imagine TV.

The highest number of complaints, 58 were received on the telecast of this show, where the BCCC ruled that the channel should exercise discretion in selecting content for the show.

A majority of the other complainants also objected to depiction of sexuality in television programmes. BCCC took action ranging for advising channels to not telecast programmes during general viewing hours to prohibiting telecast in some cases.

The regulatory body was considering new initiatives like accepting complaints by post, in addition to the prevailing system of email complaints, an idea suggested by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the sources said.

They said that in a meeting held on Friday Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni had appreciated the functioning of the self regulatory mechanism but also expressed some concerns.

"The ministry expressed concern about content of programmes slated to be shown during late hours being re-aired during general hours," an official source said.

BCCC officials said that while they had taken note of the ministry's suggestion.

Amongst other complaints received by the BCCC, 232 were against news channels and in these cases complainants were directed to take up the matter  with the News Broadcasters Association. In 226 cases, advertising related complaints were directed to the Advertisement Standard Council of India.

There were 56 complaints against movies and 41 against channels which do not adhere to the BCCC. These were forwarded to the Central Board of Film Certification and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry respectively.

Another 254 complaints were related to quiz shows being telecast on TV on which an advisory was issued for channels to run a scroll during the programme disclosing information pertaining to call rates or SMS charges which will be applicable for participating in the programme.

Another 270 complaints were classified as Miscellaneous by the BCCC, officials said.

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I'm excited about working with Mahesh Bhatt: Sunny Lone

New Delhi: "I am who I am," says Sunny Leone. The Indo-Canadian porn star, the latest to be evicted out of reality show 'Bigg Boss 5', says she did not try and use the platform to promote her "business".

It was reported that the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) cautioned channel Colors to ensure that Leone does not use the show to her advantage, following complaints over her appearance on the show.

But the 30-year-old is nonchalant.

"I don't know what's being going on ever since I am inside the Bigg Boss house. I just know who I am, and the world knows who I am, and what I do...what is my business. My name will always be associated with porn. But there was never any link-up with my website and 'Bigg Boss 5'," Leone told reporters over phone from Mumbai.

People may have known her for different reasons, but Leone, whose real name is Karen Malhotra, gave the Indian audience a glimpse into her other side - the fun-loving girl, who loves to cook and dance.

"This show was so much fun! Thankfully, as you all must have seen, Bigg Boss kept giving me dancing tasks one after the other. So my dancing skills are better, especially some Bollywood moves."

"Also, week by week, my Hindi kept improving, and it is a lot better now. But I was happiest about learning how to cook a variety of Indian food. I made really good dal and learnt how to make potatoes in 10 different ways! I think that's amazing, and I am definitely going to cook an Indian meal once I am back home," she said.

The bisexual girl, who was born to Punjabi parents in Ontario, Canada, caused a flutter when her entry into the show was announced. But she dealt with it quite well. She came with an aim to entertain Indian audiences, and she did that successfully.

Even if she was evicted just a week before the grand finale of the show, Leone says she has no regret because it is all a part of the game. Her bigger victory has been in the form of a movie offer from one of Bollywood's most formidable filmmakers, Mahesh Bhatt, for "Jism 2".

"I am really very excited about working with Mr.Mahesh Bhatt. He has told me a bit about the first instalment of the film, and said how it was very bold, controversial, and of course edgy. So, yes, I am excited about Bollywood," said Leone, who says she wants to stay in India till "Bigg Boss 5" comes to an end.

Among the three men left on the show, she says she made good pals with Akashdeep Saigal aka Sky, and she also found a friend in actress Juhi Parmar.

For the time being, she hopes to enjoy her freedom out of the precincts of the "Bigg Boss 5" house, and watch TV in a hotel room with lots of good food!

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