Web series Tandav has run into trouble once again with a police complaint filed in Bengaluru against the makers of the political thriller. Kiran Aradhya, a social activist, has filed an FIR (first information report) with the KR Puram police, accusing the makers of hurting Hindu sentiments. The Bengaluru police have reportedly sought legal opinion before proceeding further.
In the complaint, legal action has been sought against Aparna Purohit of Amazon Prime Video, Tandav director Ali Abbas Zafar, producer Farhan Akhtar along with actors including Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Saif Ali Khan. The complainant has accused the series of insulting Hindu deities as the character ‘portrayed as Shiva’ uses cuss words.The police are reportedly verifying if they can have relevant scenes removed to make it ‘less objectionable’.
Incidentally, a day after issuing an apology, the makers changed at least two scenes from 'Tanasha', the first episode of Tandav. The two scenes that were changed include the play featuring Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, who plays a character named Shiva; and the conversation where the prime minister insults a Dalit leader.
The KR Puram police, in the FIR, has charged the makers under sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings), 153 A (wanton vilification or attacks upon the religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc) and 298 (utters any word or makes any sound with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).
After several complaints were filed against Tandav, the makers had issued a statement apologising for hurting sentiments. “We have utmost respect for the sentiments of the people of our country. We did not intend to hurt or offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead,” the statement read. They had also decided to make changes to ensure the ‘objectionable’ parts were removed.
After complaints were filed in Uttar Pradesh against Tandav, a team of UP police had travelled to Mumbai to ‘personally’ hand over the notice to the director Ali Abbas Zafar after an FIR was lodged in Lucknow’s Hazratganj Kotwali police station. Apart from this, three cases have been filed against the web series on various grounds--from accusing the series of being insulting to Hindu deities to alleging that the UP police have been portrayed in bad light as well as objections to a certain Prime Minister is depicted.