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Govt Will Not Let You See Condom Ads During Prime Time

The decision was taken after the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) sought the ministry’s suggestions, reportedly after receiving a number of complaints from viewers.

A condom ad featuring Bollywood actress Sunny Leone.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting does not want you to watch condom ads on television. In an order passed on Monday, the ministry said that condom ads can only be telecast between 10pm and 6am and not in the prime time.

The rationale? The ministry feels that children get exposed to the “indecent and inappropriate” content.

The decision was taken after the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) sought the ministry’s suggestions, reportedly after receiving a number of complaints from viewers.

The ASCI received letters saying that the content of the advertisements of condoms was meant for adults and should not be aired during prime time.

The root of the problem was reportedly Manforce, a condom brand that has had a history of making suggestive commercials with Sunny Leone as the star.

The hoardings of the ad had sparked protests in Gujarat, after a Surat-based group took offence to its message. The message in Gujarati on the hoarding read ‘Aa Navratri a ramo, parantu premthi’ (This Navratri, play but with love).

According to the protestors, it “insulted the religious sentiment”. It clearly didn’t end with the condom brand withdrawing its hoardings.

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Source: News18