The journey of porn in India spans from the pre-internet era to its explosive growth in recent years, thanks to widespread internet access. Let’s take a look at how erotic films evolved over different periods, and how the government’s 2015 attempt to restrict access to porn sites played out.
The origin of “blue films” — a term used to describe erotic movies — played a significant role in shaping pornography in India. In the 1970s, these films were screened in single-screen theatres and were mainly viewed by working-class men. At the time, no one could imagine watching them on portable devices. The history of Hindi erotic cinema goes back almost as far as Indian cinema itself, though such films were initially treated as secret projects. Eventually, the popularity of blue films surged nationwide, leading to the rise of dedicated blue-film theatres.
Films such as Kama Tantra (1999) and Biwi Anaadi Saali Khilaadi (2002) became blockbuster hits of their time, even causing chaos at the box office. Kama Tantra was one of the first soft-porn films to achieve both mainstream popularity and commercial success.
In the early 2000s, the emergence of C-grade films was seen as a challenge to the moral policing of blue films. These low-budget productions, often lacking strong storylines, relied heavily on explicit sexual content, violence, or gore. Directors of B- and C-grade films targeted audiences dissatisfied with mainstream or regional cinema, carving out a loyal niche market.
Digital Age and Rising Viewership of Porn in India
The digital age marked a turning point in India’s pornography consumption. The internet made explicit content easily accessible to anyone with a connection. The launch of Reliance Jio and the sharp drop in data prices significantly boosted access, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, where mobile-based porn viewership rose by nearly 75%, according to Vidooly, a viewership tracker.
Around the same time, on August 1, 2015, the Government of India attempted to block access to pornography sites under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. About 857 sites were banned, but the move was met with massive public backlash. Just four days later, on August 5, 2015, the ban was lifted. The government’s stated aim was to block sites featuring child pornography, but the blanket order was widely criticised for concerns over censorship and overreaching.
The history of pornography is vast, spanning from the era of blue films to C-grade productions, and now witnessing the rise and fall of soft-porn films on OTT platforms. On July 25, 2025, the government banned over 25 apps and platforms featuring vulgar or obscene content, including Ullu and Alt Balaji. From screening blue films in single-screen theatres to streaming pornography on personal devices with the advent of the internet, cheap data has taken porn from city screens to small-town smartphones, driving viewership higher than ever. [Rh/VS]
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