8 instances when Indian movies and Web shows were neck deep in trouble!
A Muslim boy and a Hindu girl kissing in A Suitable Boy, the name of a dog in Pataal Lok, a Pakistani actor in a starring role in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil... Amazon Prime Video's Tandav is the latest in a long line of films and Web shows to have landed in trouble for one reason or another.
Tandav, a nine-episode political thriller starring Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, started streaming on January 15 and is neck deep in trouble with loud calls for its ban and an FIR against its makers in Lucknow.
At the centre of the row is a scene with Zeeshan, in the role of college student Shiva, playing the Hindu god Mahadev in a theatre production.
The cast and the crew of Tandav had to 'unconditionally' apologise in a bid to quell the controversy surrounding the show.
Here are some other films and shows that faced boycott calls in recent years:
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
The Karan Johar-directed romantic drama faced threats from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena because it featured Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.
The party said Pakistani artistes would not be allowed to work in India post the Uri terror attack.
Johar had to issue an apology and promise he would not 'engage with talent' from Pakistan for the film's smooth release in October 2016.
The film-maker, one of Bollywood's most powerful, had earlier faced trouble for using 'Bombay' instead of 'Mumbai' in a scene in Wake Up Sid.
Padmaavat
The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film led to a massive political controversy before its release with a fringe group, the Karni Sena, demanding a ban on the movie, blaming it for distorting historical facts on Rani Padmavati.
Bhansali's movie's set in Kolhapur was set on fire and the director was manhandled while shooting the movie in Jaipur.
At one point, Deepika Padukone faced threats to her life with a bounty being put on her head following a rumour that the film depicted a love scene between Padmavati and Allauddin Khilji.
The director made strenuous efforts to deny the rumour.
The movie also underwent a title change from Padmavati to Padmaavat and released in January 2018.
Bhansali also faced issues with his film Ramleela and had to change its title to Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela.
Chhapaak
The Deepika Padukone starrer, a true story of an acid attack survivor, faced protests and calls for boycott on social media because the actor visited the Jawaharlal Nehru Campus to express solidarity with the students after a brutal attack on them by masked goons ahead of the film's release on January 10, 2020.
Padukone, who did not speak at the protest, was called 'anti-national'.
There was further controversy with many accusing film-maker Meghna Gulzar of changing the name of the perpetrator from a Muslim to Hindu, which was not the case.
A Suitable Boy
The Mira Nair-directed Web series based on Vikram Seth's novel started streaming on Netflix from October 23, 2020, and earned the ire of several politicians for a scene showing a Muslim boy kissing a Hindu girl in the backdrop of a temple.
The show also led to a police complaint against Netflix India officials by Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha national secretary Gaurav Tiwari in MP.
State Home Minister Narottam Mishra had asked the state police to examine whether the scenes were filmed in a temple as it hurt the sentiments of a particular community.
Pataal Lok
Like Tandav, the show in Amazon Prime Video also looked at the nexus between media, politics and police.
Set in Delhi, the Anushka Sharma-produced show, which started streaming from May 15, 2020, stirred controversy with BJP MLA Nandkishor Gurjar filing a complaint for allegedly using his photograph in the series without his permission.
Moreover, the hashtag 'ban Pataal Lok' trended on social media for its depiction of communal issues, 'beef lynching' and other issues.
There were also objections to a pet dog being named Savitri.
Leila
Deepa Mehta's 2019 Netflix show was based on a Prayaag Akbar novel.
Featuring Huma Qureshi in the lead role, it was called 'anti Hindu' for depicting the dystopian future of Aryavarta where purity of blood is enforced.
The show's protagonist searches for her daughter, who was taken away from her for being the child of an inter-faith marriage.
Sacred Games
One of the first successful locally produced series on Netflix in 2018 and 2019, Sacred Games attracted many controversies during its second season.
A Congress party member filed an FIR against the show for allegedly insulting the late Rajiv Gandhi.
BJP leader Tajinder Pal Bagga filed an FIR against Director Anurag Kashyap for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Sikhs, and the Akali Dal's Manjinder Singh Sirsa also called out the show.
Besides, Sacred Games was criticised for being anti-Hindu because of its portrayal of a character called Guruji, a spiritual leader shown as being a man of questionable morals and ideology.
Lipstick Under My Burkha
The film, directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, was initially denied a release in India in 2017, after the Central Board of Film Certification refused a certificate, objecting to its depiction of sex scenes and abusive language.
The film eventually released in July 2017.
