Filmmaker Anurag Basu, who judged Super Dancer Chapter 3 with actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra and choreographer Geeta Kapur, has reacted to the criticism the reality show and the channel received after a video of a minor contestant being asked "vulgar & sexually explicit" questions about his parents surfaced online.
For those unversed, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote a letter to Sony Pictures Networks and asked them to take down an episode of Super Dancer Chapter 3 last week.
Reacting to the criticism, Basu said he will not defend it as he realises it was 'embarrassing' for the kid's parents. The Barfi director also added that a line should be drawn when it comes to asking questions to minor contestants.
"I am a father of two kids myself. Super Dancer is a kids’ dance reality show, and children often say things innocently. We shoot with them for hours, and they say so many things, which are sometimes not in anyone’s control. I agree that I should not have directed the conversation towards something that led the contestant to say things that embarrassed his parents," he said in an interview with ETimes.
Basu added, "It is important to be careful while interacting with children because they innocently say things that may not be appropriate. So, ideally, this part could have been edited, but that was not in my control."
NCPCR had sent a letter to the channel after a Twitter account 'Gems of Bollywood' shared a video and claimed that the child is asked vulgar questions and that the video is available for all age groups on YouTube.
The commission also asked for an explanation on why such inappropriate questions were asked to a minor child artist. Soon after the NCPCR took action against the channel, and stated that the questions asked to the minor child were 'inappropriate and disturbing' in nature, several social media users have also lashed out at the makers as well as the judges.
The reality show aired from April 2019 to June 2019.
