In a country that is obsessed with religion, creative interpretations can sometimes rub people the wrong way. For example, the Amazon Prime web-series Tandav faced police action after it allegedly hurt religious sentiments.
An FIR was lodged against its makers and Aparna Purohit, the head of Amazon Prime, which aired it. The accused subsequently moved the Allahabad High Court for anticipatory bail.
It was argued before the Court that the series had depicted Hindu Gods and Goddesses in bad light, with the intention of inciting communal sentiments. The single-judge hearing Purohit’s anticipatory bail plea rejected it and remarked that “the sentiments of majority community have been hurt” through the disrespectful display of the characters of their faith.
Owing to the objections, the makers also had to remove some of the problematic scenes from the show.
Although the Supreme Court later granted interim relief to Purohit, it underlined the need for screening of such shows on OTT platforms.
Source: Barandbench
