In a significant development for censorship of Netflix in India, the company has decided not to release Record of Ragnarok, an anime series that heavily features the Hindu deity Shiva, IGN India reported. The company refused to comment on why it took this decision. Anticipatory censorship from Netflix has been relatively rare, but there is intense pressure on streaming services by Hindutva forces and the government to avoid negative depictions of Hindutva politics and Hindu deities. Record of Ragnarok depicts Shiva as a destructive fighter; the show is about a showdown between deities across the world's pantheons and some of human history's strongest fighters. That pressure formed a part of the reason why the Information Technology (Intermediary Liability Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 were notified. These Rules advise streaming services to think twice before putting out content that could cause sectarian strife. In any case, Netflix has not let things get to that level either — they seem to have chosen not to release the show altogether instead of putting it out and let the process prescribed in the Rules play out. Netflix tones it down This is also consistent with the company's shifting strategy towards content with political overtones — since Sacred Games, it has rarely commissioned series that challenge the current government or criticise Hindutva in any way. Even A Suitable Boy, a BBC show that Netflix has branded as an original in some countries, got into trouble for a kiss scene with a temple…
