Govt banning porn will be wiped out: Ram Gopal Varma

Mumbai, Aug 3: Noted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on Monday expressed strong opposition to government's decision to block porn sites, saying any deprivation of personal liberty by a government amounts to a regression of social progress of that country.

In a series of tweets, Varma also warned considering the popularity of porn, the government which bans it is sure to be wiped out of existence in the next election.

"History proved it multiple times that if anytime anything is banned it will just gather strength in the underground. All in all any deprivation of personal liberty of an individual by a government amounts to a regression of social progress of that country," he tweeted.

Defending pornography, the 'Sarkar' director observed that the best way to tackle a "menace" was to bring it out in the open instead of banning it or pretending it didn't exist.

"It's a proven fact by international surveys that instead of fuelling sexual crimes, porn actually provides safer outlet for sexual repression. The best way to tackle a presumed menace is to bring it out in open rather than pushing it under the rug or pretending it doesn't exist.

"Once children reach an age of sexual awakening, with or without porn, they will sexually awaken as they have since human species were born. "I frankly find this worry of children watching porn is foolish because if they are not yet sexually awakened it would mean nothing to them," he said.

"To ban porn saying it will be seen by who shouldn't see it is like saying to stop traffic because there will be accidents. To deprive consenting adults of the harmless fun they are having of watching porn is equivalent of what Taliban and Isis is doing to freedom," he said.

The 'Satya' helmer said the government should find ways to steer the content, and warned that banning it can "wipe the government out of existence".

"Government should work on finding ways to steer the content not to go in wrong directions rather than to block it," he added.

"Considering the sheer popularity of Porn whichever government owns up to banning it is sure to be wiped out of existence in next election," he said.

PTI