A day after BJP leaders demanded a ban on Amazon web series ‘Tandav’, police in Lucknow’s Hazratganj Kotwali station registered an FIR against Amazon Prime’s India head of original content Aparna Purohit, director of web series ‘Tandav’ Ali Abbas Zafar, its producer Himanshu Krishna Mehra, writer Gaurav Solanki and others for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sought an explanation from the streaming platform after BJP MP Manoj Kotak wrote to I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar seeking a ban on Amazon Prime Video’s series ‘Tandav’ for allegedly ridiculing Hindu deities.
‘Tandav’, starring actors Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Kumud Mishra, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Gauhar Khan and Kritika Kamra, premiered on the streaming platform on Friday.
Kotak, the MP from Mumbai North-East, alleged that attempts are often made on such platforms to not show Hindu deities in good light.
He said different organisations and individuals have complained that Hindu gods and goddesses have been ridiculed in ‘Tandav’ web series.
“Hence, we have made a demand to Javadekar ji and have written to him to ban the web series immediately. The actors, producers and directors should apologise for hurting sentiments,” he added.
Another politician, Ram Kadam, a BJP MLA from Ghatkopar West, also asked the director to remove the portion of the web series in which Lord Shiva is allegedly ridiculed.
The legislator said he has filed a complaint in this connection at the suburban Ghatkopar police station.
The government recently brought OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar, besides other online news and current affairs content, under the ambit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, giving it powers to regulate policies and rules for the digital space.
2021-01-17 20:21:57