Why #UninstallHotstar is Trending?
The popular streaming platform Hotstar has recently been on the news. To all those who do not know what is happening, Hotstar is facing a backlash from people because of it’s highly anticipated series ‘The Empire‘. The series ‘The Empire’ is based on the Mughal invader Babur. It has been claimed that the series is the adaptation of the novel ‘Empire of the Moghul- raiders from the North’. Alex Rutherford is the writer of the novel.
The Empire is produced by Nikkhil Advani. The cast of the series includes powerful personalities like Dino Morea, Kunal Kapoor, Shabana Aazmi, Drashti Dhami, Rahul Dev among others.
#UninstallHotstar began trending when Hotstar rejected all grievance complaints against the series ‘The Empire‘. Viewers have claimed that the series has glorified the Mughal Emperor Babur. However, it is said the grievance officer (appointed under Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules,2021) has rejected the complaint too. These guidelines require online publishers and digital media to adhere to the rules as mentioned in the ‘Code of Ethics’.
When the trailer of The Empire was released. it irked the people. The trailer of The Empire was also compared to that of Game of Thrones. And, viewers hailed it as ‘India Ka Game of Thrones’. You can watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP0nou-f0yU
Many observed that the series involved tempered historical facts and hurt the sentiments of a community. Hence, viewers took to twitter and #UninstallHotstar began to trend.
The show has been embroiled in controversy since its release on 27th August 2021. The series showcases the rise and fall of The Mughal Empire. It starts with the first Mughal Emperor Babur. The Empire’s has 8 episodes of 45 minutes each. People claim that the barbaric nature of Babur has been glorified. Babur originally came from the kingdom of Fergana