South Central Ep 14 | Infosys Layoffs, IT Unions & Modi Era Film Censorship

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On the Infosys layoffs, Dhanya Rajendran discusses how employees were abruptly let go: “More than just a company taking a decision, which is, let us say, based on truthful evaluation. It’s about the lack of dignity.”

Sudipto points, “Despite all the criticism, why couldn’t they figure out some better way of doing this? The framework within these companies enjoy this kind of impunity to flout what are established laws of labor and how you handle employment—that is the moot point here, not whether it makes sense in terms of business.”

Tara says, “There is definitely a class consciousness. IT employees feel they are an educated class. And they don’t need the same kind of protections that factory workers need. The feeling that layoffs don’t happen to me. It happens to people who don’t perform well or people who are substitutes.”

The conversation moves to film censorship and how platforms are now self-censoring films before any official action is taken. Anna Vetticad details her investigation: “Filmmakers are now self-censoring because they don’t know where the next crackdown will come from. A film like Nasir was submitted to the CBFC, and that’s it—no update, no certification, just silence.”

Leena Reghunath adds, “From Nasir to Punjab 95, to how films are just disappearing—it shows how deep censorship has seeped in. And very few people are even willing to speak up about it.”

On the censorship of Diljit Dosanjh’s Punjab 95, Anna observes, ”There is a mindset within this government that members of minority communities should not be built up as heroes, as rebels, as people who have taken on the establishment in any way. Even in Bollywood, producers are now avoiding making films where the lead character is a Muslim, especially a Muslim who is a positive character with inspiring qualities."

All this and more—tune in.

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Audio Timecodes

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:01:24– TNM’s 11th Birthday

00:04:34 – Headlines

00:09:38: Summons to BeerBiceps

00:15:57 – Infosys Layoffs & IT Unions