Recently, Merchant Ivory Productions signed pop singer Tina Turner to play the Hindu goddess Shakti in their new film, The Goddess.

Evidently, this piece of news didn't go down well with the religious Hindu groups in Britain who have been actively protesting against this unusual casting.

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India-born Ismail Merchant defended his decision in a letter to the Times Of India newspaper, mentions Variety magazine. Merchant accused the protestors of nursing misconceptions about the film, which spoke of the goddess in a revered tone.

Variety quotes Merchant as saying, "Tina Turner is one of the great artists of our time and has been a practicing Buddhist for the last 20 years. An artist of such international stature should be welcomed."

The Hindu fundamentalists are threatening to blockade film halls that dare to screen the film. Hasmukh Shah, chairman of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in United Kingdom labels the casting 'insensitive', adding Hindus 'won't stand for it'. Based in Britain, a Hindu Human Rights group is working on a petition for Merchant Ivory Prods, which accuses the filmmakers of turning the goddess into a 'musical joke'.

Merchant adds, "Contrary to the accusations of objectors, nobody is going to sing and dance on the back of a tiger and the goddess is not going to be half-naked or a sex symbol."  

Merchant believes that 'nobody has the right to dictate how one should worship the goddess or to discriminate against an artist who seeks to portray her'.