Mumbai: The producer and host of the reality show ‘House Arrest’ on the ‘ULLU’ streaming app have been charged under sections related to the indecent representation of women after a clip in which contestants were made to depict ‘sex positions’ went viral. 

The clip shows the programme’s host Ajaz Khan, who is a former ‘Bigg Boss’ contestant, putting pressure on contestants, including women, to act out intimate situations. Mr Khan also asks the participants some vulgar questions, persisting with his line of inquiry despite the participants being visibly uncomfortable. 

Based on a complaint by an activist from the right-wing group Bajrang Dal, the police in Mumbai’s Amboli on Friday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr Khan and the producer of ‘House Arrest’, Rajkumar Pandey. 

The FIR has been registered under sections related to obscene acts in public places and others under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. 

The case was registered on a day that the show was taken off the app and the National Commission of Women took note of the controversy and summoned Mr Khan and the CEO of the Ullu app, Vibhu Agarwal.

“NCW takes suo motu cognisance of obscene content on Ullu App’s show House Arrest. Viral clips show women being coerced into intimate acts on camera. NCW slams the platform for promoting vulgarity and violating consent. CEO and host summoned on May 9,” the commission said in a post on X. 

On Thursday, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had objected to the clip and wondered why apps that stream such obscene content have not been banned. 

“I have raised this in the standing committee that apps such as this, namely, Ullu App and Alt Balaji have managed to escape the ban by I&B ministry on apps for obscene content. I am still awaiting their reply,” Ms Chaturvedi, who is a Rajya Sabha MP and member of the Standing Committee on Communications and IT, wrote on X. 

“On March 14, 2024, the I&B Ministry had blocked 18 OTT platforms, which were found to be streaming obscene and pornographic content. The apps blocked by the government were primarily platforms distributing explicit material. The following 18 apps were banned… Surprisingly 2 of the biggest apps were kept out- Ullu and Alt Balaji, will I&B tell the country why they were left out from this ban,” she said in another post, sharing the names of the 18 apps. 

The clip also caught the attention of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who shared a post complaining of obscenity “being served” through shows like ‘House Arrest’.

Mr Dubey, who is the chairman of the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, tagged the handle of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and wrote, “This will not do @MIB_India. Our committee will take action on this.”

Mumbai: Memorandums were submitted to the President by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board through the District Magistrates at all district headquarters of Maharashtra today against the recent Waqf Amendment Act.
However, since Mumbai is the capital of the state, the said memorandum was submitted to the Raj Bhavan here and presented to the Governor of Maharashtra, Mr. C. P. Radhakrishnan, whose absence was accepted by his Secretary, Mr. S. Ramamurthy. The memorandum, which was submitted under the leadership of Maulana Mahmood Ahmed Khan Daryabadi, Convener of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s Protection of Waqf Committee in Maharashtra, states that

1. The recent amendments made in the Waqf Act, 1995, are discriminatory and violate the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India.
2. They violate the fundamental rights enshrined in Articles 14, 25, 26 and 29 of the Constitution of India.
3. They are discriminatory because they remove the protection and safeguards given to waqf properties, which are the same protections enjoyed by the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Christian communities.
4. They are against the right to freely practice religion (Article 25) and to establish and manage their own religious institutions (Articles 26 and 29).
5. They are a violation of the freedom of a Muslim citizen to give his property as a waqf if he has not been a practicing Muslim for the last 5 years.
6. These amendments are discriminatory because they also take away the protections and rights given to other religious institutions.
7. They remove the exemptions given by the Law of Limitations, which affect our right to manage waqf properties.
8. If the government has taken possession of the waqf land, it can now become the owner because the power of decision will be transferred to the nominated officer.
9. Only Muslims could become members of the Waqf Board and the Central Waqf Council, this condition has also been abolished. Now the election has been replaced by nomination.
10. The waqf user will have to get registered and if the matter becomes controversial, the property may lose its waqf status.
11. These changes are depriving Muslims of the opportunity to establish, run and organize their own institutions.
    Therefore, we, the undersigned, respectfully request that all these controversial amendments passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be repealed.
    The following persons were among those who presented the memorandum in Mumbai –
    Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi Sahib, Abu Asim Azmi Sahib, Farid Sheikh Sahib, Mufti Saeed-ur-Rehman Sahib, Saleem Motorwala Sahib, Munsee Bushra Abidi Sahib, Sarfraz Arzoo Sahib, Maulana Agharoh Zafar Sahib, Maulana Anees Ashrafi Sahib, Maulana Abdul Jalil Ansari Sahib, Mufti Muhammad Huzaifa Qasmi Sahib, Humayun Sheikh Sahib, Dr. Azimuddin Sahib, Shakir Sheikh Sahib, Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi Sahib, Maulana Muhammad Asid Sahib.
    Memorandums were presented against the Waqf Act to DMs and SDMs in all districts of Maharashtra including Thana, Palghar, Aurangabad, Hingoli, Bhasaval, Ayut Mahal, Parbhani, Washim, Jalgaon, Jamner, Pune, Mangrol, Beed, Nandobar, Jalna, Sangli, Jantur, etc.

Maharashtra Government and Prime Focus make a big announcement, a world class entertainment hub will be built in Mumbai for Rs 3000 crore

Prime Focus Group has joined hands with the Maharashtra Government for a major investment of about Rs 3000 crore (i.e about $ 400 million) for infrastructure development in Mumbai.

This investment will create the most advanced and digitally connected content creation ecosystem in the heart of one of the oldest film industry hubs in the world.

This new hub, where world class entertainment and lifestyle will be enjoyed, is being developed with the aim of attracting tourists from India and abroad.

This multi-year project will bring new employment opportunities for thousands of skilled people in the area.

Prime Focus Group (‘The Group’), the world’s largest independent integrated media services company, today announced its partnership with the Government of Maharashtra to create a new global entertainment destination in Mumbai, the heart of India’s film making industry.

The announcement said that Prime Focus Group and the Government of Maharashtra will jointly invest close to INR 3000 crore (approximately US$ 400 million) to develop a new entertainment ecosystem in Mumbai, a destination for content creators, tourists and entertainment enthusiasts from across the globe, and will also create thousands of high-skilled jobs in the region.

Prime Focus was started in 1997 by its founder Namit Malhotra. The company is listed on the National and Bombay Stock Exchanges of India. Prime Focus Group also comprises DNEG, an eight-time Academy Awardⓒ winning visual effects and animation company, BRAHMA, an AI technology company, and Prime Focus Studios, a content financing and production company.

The new site will feature:

• State-of-the-art production studios for content creation, equipped with the latest and smartest digital technology
• Creation of a global entertainment destination featuring live shows, theme parks and fun experience centres
• More lifestyle experiences, such as shopping and dining venues, fine hotels, homes and more.

Prime Focus Group already owns and operates Asia’s largest production facility in Mumbai, comprising eight Hollywood-designed soundstages in a 200,000 sq ft studio complex. The Group’s post-production facilities, including its DNEG Mumbai studio, are located nearby.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis said, “Development, infrastructure building and a better future are key to Maharashtra’s growth. As we work on major projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train, Coastal Road and Vadhvan Port, I am glad that the creation of this new entertainment hub is one of the projects that is transforming our state and putting us at the forefront of India’s growth. I am looking forward to working with Prime Focus and DNEG to create a great production and tourism destination, making Mumbai a major hub for film and entertainment.”

Namit Malhotra, Founder, Prime Focus Group said, “My vision for this development, which has been shared with Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis, is to recognise the 100+ year old legacy of our film industry. We want to combine the strengths of Prime Focus Group’s companies – including DNEG’s Oscar-winning creativity, Brahma’s AI technology and Prime Focus Studios’ financing and production capabilities – to create the world’s most advanced and innovative content creation centre, which will be at the heart of our filmmaking heritage in Mumbai.”

Leveraging our country’s craftsmanship and innovation, we are not just building the world’s largest content creation centre; we are also creating a destination that will showcase India’s culture, our history and our strengths to the world, while providing an unparalleled entertainment and lifestyle experience,” Malhotra added. He adds, “This new centre will be a great example of what India can do in terms of technology, creativity and entertainment. This place will become a fun tourist destination for people from all over the world – that too in the heart of Mumbai, one of the oldest film industries in the world. We are bringing the world to India and connecting India to the world.”