Teenagers are watching 'Kabir Singh' and Aadhaar is to blame
What's the story
Adding to the controversy surrounding Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Kabir Singh, teenagers in Jaipur have made fake IDs to get into screenings of the A-rated film.
The film's certification restricts under 18 viewing, given that the Shahid Kapoor-starrer features strong language and substance abuse (and unabashed misogyny). But apparently, there is no stopping a bunch of teenagers with Aadhaar cards and a little mischief.
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Here's how these teenagers trumped the Censor Board
"My friends and I clicked pictures of our Aadhaar Cards and edited them on a mobile app to change my date of birth. Nobody stopped us at the theater entrance and we managed to watch the film," Aakash (name changed) told IANS.
"We booked bulk tickets through BookMyShow, and surprisingly, nobody asked about our age or identity proof," school student Yuvraaj (name changed) added.
Faking IDs
'Clicked pictures of Aadhaar, changed DOB, became "adults" in minutes'
"The guards at the cinema hall did stop us, but our school friends had already told us how to overcome the hurdle. We clicked pictures of our Aadhaar Cards on smartphones, changed the date of birth and became adults in minutes," he added.
Let's forget about how shockingly easy it is to morph Aadhaar, for a second, but how are authorities letting this slip?
Online regulation
BookMyShow displays pop-up age warning; expects vigilance from theaters
According to a BookMyShow, official, all the website can do is display a pop-up with an age warning, as theaters are expected to check IDs for A-rated films.
But let's face it, those pop-ups serve no purpose, as regulators rely heavily on a user's integrity. And there is hardly ever any in the matter.
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INOX VP aware of issue; ensures staff 'turns away' teens
Meanwhile, Rajeev Patni, VP-Operations of INOX Leisure Limited, confirmed to IANS that keeping teenagers out of Kabir Singh screenings is a bit of a challenge, however, he added, "They are being turned away by our staff handling the situation politely."
Patni added that they follow stringent guidelines with A-rated movies, and inform customers about the age restrictions at the box office.
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Youngsters who come with families are politely refused entry: Patni
"The spectators are also checked at the theater entrance and not allowed inside if they're below 18. Youngsters who come with families are politely refused entry," Patni said, adding that A-rated screenings have 'A' red-stamped over tickets and the website also informs guests about age-restrictions.
Aadhaar
Why are Aadhaar cards favored to forge fake identification?
Now, coming to Aadhaar cards' forgery, despite the assertion by UIDAI that Aadhaar cards are more secure due to biometric authentication- which also has other security issues because those "five feet thick walls" have been breached before- the IDs in physical forms are quite easy to manipulate.
An Aadhaar card is just a print-out with no hologram, official seal or microchip.
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Aadhaar a digital ID system; cannot be verified physically
Speaking of issues with the ID, security researcher, Srinivas Kodali, who worked extensively on Aadhaar, told Quartz India, "You have designed a digital identification system which you want to verify physically and that's not happening because you haven't designed it for physical use."
Conclusion
Bottom line: 'Kabir Singh' is dangerous for teenagers
That oversight is so glaring, that a bunch of teenagers figured it out and are now exploiting it to expose themselves to Kabir Singh's adult subjects and toxic masculinity.
Although many teenagers, who viewed the film, maintained that they are not taking the film's message home, the IANS report stated, but we have to wonder if that's true of all youth out there.