An FIR has been filed in Lucknow against the makers of the Amazon Prime Video web-series Tandav for ‘hurting religious sentiments’. News agency ANI tweeted to inform that Hazratganj Kotwali has registered a case against the show’s director Ali Abbas Zafar, head of original content Aparna Purohit, producer Himanshu Krishna Mehra, and writer Gaurav Solanki among others associated with the show.
Manoj Kotak, a member of parliament from Mumbai, has written to India’s information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, asking for a ban on “Tandav,” accusing the creative team — in which the chief creators are Muslim — of “deliberately mocking Hindu Gods,” and disrespecting “Hindu religious sentiments.”
Set in Delhi and played out like an Indian “House of Cards,” “Tandav” features a diverse set of characters scheming for political power. The show has a ripped-from-the-headlines plot that fearlessly takes on events like the 2019 student uprising in India and systemic marginalization of minority communities, all while taking potshots at dynastic rule. Although the show tried to veer away from antagonizing the ruling Hindu nationalist government, the scandal suggests it hasn’t been as successful as it might have hoped.
“We have been closely monitoring viewer reactions to the web series Tandav and today during a discussion, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting have informed us regarding a large number of grievances and petitions received on various facets of the web series with serious concerns and apprehensions regarding its content hurting the sentiments of people,” read the statement on behalf of the show’s cast and crew, posted on Zafar’s Instagram.
Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar has issued an apology on behalf of the cast and crew of his web series, Tandav, after police complaints were filed against several people involved with the show. It has been alleged that the show, which debuted on Amazon Prime Video recently, has hurt the sentiments of certain communities.