• The Asian Age, Monday, November 13, 2006 12 PM

A titillating ad for flavored condoms that aired during prime time on Indian TV has given new life to an old decency debate over content on the small screen. "Monitoring content is very important. But despite all our efforts, something suddenly comes in. There is this DKT XXX flavored condom ad, which everybody knows about. It somehow got in," says Censor Board chairman Sharmila Tagore. She insists the group is not against condom commercials, which combat the risks of AIDS and HIV, but she doesn't want "silly, titillating ads."

The spot at issue is DKT's "XXX" strawberry, chocolate and banana-flavored condoms with the tagline: "What is your flavour of the night?" Obscenity is not new on Indian TV, with raunchy videos and graphically explicit ads being used to boost ratings. To fight back, the government set up the Television Cable Networks Regulation Act, decreeing that no ad will be permitted that glorifies violence or obscenity in any way.

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