In further controversy on web series Tandav, a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Amazon Prime's India head of original content Aparna Purohit, director Ali Abbas Zafar, producer Himanshu Krishna Mehra, writer Gaurav Solanki and others in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
The FIR has been filed at Hazratganj Kotwali in UP’s capital city Lucknow, reported news agency ANI.
'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 January 15.
Soon after the release, the web series has been surrounded with controversy.
On January 17, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sought an explanation from streaming platform Amazon Prime Video on the issue, reported news agency PTI citing sources.
This came after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Kotak said he had written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar seeking a ban on Amazon Prime Video's series Tandav for ridiculing Hindu deities.
Kotak, an 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.My letter to Hon.minister @PrakashJavdekar ji regarding regulation of the OTT platforms pic.twitter.com/twwI6OP4iM
— Manoj Kotak (@manoj_kotak) January 17, 2021
Sharing the picture of his letter to Javadekar on Twitter, Kotak said as there is no law or autonomous body governing digital content and films on such platforms are full of sex, violence, drugs, abuse, hate and vulgarity. It seems that makers of Tandav have deliberately mocked Hindu gods and disrespected Hindu religious sentiments, he said in the letter dated January 16.
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.