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Some of America’s edgiest shows are being shown in India, as TV channels try to attract young and hip audiences. But the channels have to be careful about upsetting conservative viewers or government officials, so they’re censoring parts of the shows, sometimes to a ludicrous extent.
[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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BLEEPING OUT THE B-WORD
Compiled and partly written by Melvin Durai 
February 2012
Some of America’s edgiest shows are being shown in India, as TV channels try to attract young and hip audiences. But the channels have to be careful about upsetting conservative viewers or government officials, so they’re censoring parts of the shows, sometimes to a ludicrous extent.During one episode of Friends, two pages of a cookbook got stuck together, fooling Rachel into making a fruit pastry with beef. Much of the comedy sprang from this mistake. As reported by the Associated Press, the Indian channel bleeped out the word “beef,” not wanting to offend Hindus, but leaving viewers puzzled why Rachel’s customers found the pastry distasteful.
But without the censorship, such shows probably wouldn’t be on the air for too long. When it comes to pleasing the government, TV executives know the truth: it’s better to be chicken and cut the beef.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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