The Indian High Commission issued the appeal after the poster for a documentary directed by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai drew criticism on social media for offending religious sentiments with its depiction of Goddess Kaali.
In the aftermath of a controversy over filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s upcoming documentary movie poster depicting Goddess Kaali as a smoking woman, the Indian High Commission has urged Canadian authorities to withdraw the disrespectful depiction of Hindu Gods featured as part of the ‘Under the Tent’ project at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.
“We urge the Canadian authorities and event organisers to remove all such provocative material,” said the Indian High Commission in Canada in a press release.
The Indian High Commission issued the appeal after the poster for a documentary directed by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai drew criticism on social media for offending religious sentiments with its depiction of Goddess Kaali.
The Madurai-born, Toronto-based filmmaker had previously taken to Twitter to share a poster for her film, which depicted a woman dressed in a Goddess costume smoking. A flag representing the LGBT community can be seen in the background.
“Our Consulate General in Toronto has communicated these concerns to the event’s organisers. We’ve also learned that several Hindu organisations in Canada have asked authorities to intervene “The release was added.
Meanwhile, filmmaker Leena Manimekalai is in hot water after a police complaint was filed against her for infringing on religious sentiments with a poster for her documentary ‘Kaali.’
The poster’s depiction of Goddess Kali did not sit well with some social media users, who demanded that it be removed. Some have even called for her arrest, and the hashtag ‘#ArrestLeenaManimekal’ is trending on Twitter.
Activist Rahul Easwar described it as a “hate poster,” saying that it “spreads hatred against the Hindu community and defames our deities.”
