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White Lotus Season 3: Unexpected Scene From Mike White's Show Censored in India; Find Out Which One It is
Indian streaming platforms often censor content to avoid backlash. A surprising scene from The White Lotus was altered in India. Read on to know which scene it is.
A scene from HBO’s The White Lotus was censored on the Indian streaming platform JioHotstar. While the show contains nudity, s*x, drugs, and even incest, the scene that was altered was not one of the more controversial moments.
Instead, it was the opening scene where Zion (Nicholas Duvernay), the son of Belinda, prays in front of a Buddha statue after hearing gunshots at the resort.
The censored version removed the parts where Zion uses expletives while praying. He originally says, “Please let my mom be OK,” followed by a Christian prayer. Then, after more gunshots, he looks at the statue and says, “What the fuck! I said, don’t let anything happen to my mother, motherf*cker!” This part was cut entirely.
According to IndieWire, JioHotstar censored the scene without any directive from HBO or the Indian government. This kind of self-censorship is common among Indian streaming platforms that want to avoid potential backlash. Variety confirmed that the scene was edited on JioHotstar, but neither Warner Bros. Discovery nor JioHotstar commented on the matter.
Unlike theatrical releases, which require approval from India’s Central Board of Film Certification, streaming platforms follow self-regulation guidelines.
In 2021, the Indian government introduced the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 2021, which outlines how streaming platforms should classify content. However, the guidelines leave room for interpretation, leading to cautious decisions by streamers.
Religious content is often censored or altered in India to avoid controversy. The 2021 guidelines mention that classification decisions should consider potentially offensive impact related to caste, race, gender, religion, disability, or sexuality. However, the rules do not clearly state what is acceptable or not, making self-censorship more common.
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