Leena Manimekalai's 'Kaali' poster invites major flak; netizens demand arrest
Director Leena Manimekalai is drawing major flak on social media for "deliberately hurting Hindu sentiments." The uproar started over the poster of her documentary film Kaali. It featured a woman dressed as the revered Hindu goddess smoking a cigarette, which didn't go down well with several netizens who immediately expressed their displeasure online. Now, she is receiving immense backlash, with #ArrestLeenaManimekalai trending on Twitter.
What did the poster show?
The filmmaker, who hails from Tamil Nadu, shared the film's poster on Saturday on her Twitter account. Apart from the "controversial" still of the goddess smoking the cigarette, it also showed an LGBTQ+ flag in the background. Notably, Kaali is a part of the "Rhythms of Canada" segment at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, as per Manimekalai's announcement.
Take a look at 'controversial' poster here
'Gau Mahasabha' filed complaint, urged for ban on the film
A few hours after the poster went live on social media, it was slammed left, right, and center for its "outrageous" and "insulting" content. Ajay Gautam, who leads the Gau Mahasabha, filed a complaint with the Delhi Police as well as the Home Ministry, Government of India. He has also sought a ban on Kaali, which Manimekalai has described as a "performance documentary."
Twitter erupted with complaints against the filmmaker
Several furious netizens took to Twitter over the alleged Hinduphobic content of the poster. One user tweeted, "Now why is the Supreme Court not seeing anything, why this double standard? #ArrestLeenaManimekalai." Another one echoed their feelings and wrote, "This must not be tolerated in the name of freedom of expression." Several users also digged up her old tweets and have been bashing her incessantly.
'If the price is my life, I will give it'
Manimekalai responded to the backlash and the controversy. She wrote in Tamil, "I have nothing to lose. I want to be with a voice that speaks without fear of anything until it is. If the price is my life, I will give it." While she stood her ground on Twitter, she has restricted the comments on her Instagram profile, only allowing selective users' opinions.
