Director Leena Manimekalai courts controversy for movie poster displaying Goddess Kaali smoking

By Agencies

NEW DELHI: A poster for a documentary directed by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai has drawn flak on social media ‘for hurting spiritual sentiments’ with the depiction of Goddess Kaali.

The Madurai-born, Toronto-based filmmaker had earlier taken to Twitter to share a poster of her documentary movie ‘Kaali’ which depicted a lady wearing a fancy dress portraying the goddess and smoking. A flag of the LGBT neighborhood is seen within the background.

The movie was a part of the “Rhythms of Cananda” section on the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, in accordance with a tweet by the filmmaker.

Super thrilled to share the launch of my latest movie – right this moment at @AgaKhanMuseum as a part of its “Rhythms of Canada”
Link: https://t.co/RAQimMt7Ln

I made this efficiency doc as a cohort of https://t.co/D5ywx1Y7Wu@YorkuAMPD @TorontoMet @YorkUFGS

Feeling pumped with my CREW pic.twitter.com/L8LDDnctC9

— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) July 2, 2022

“Super thrilled to share the launch of my recent film – today at @AgaKhanMuseumas part of its ‘Rhythms of Canada’. Feeling pumped with my CREW,” Leena tweeted.

The portrayal of Goddess Kaali within the poster didn’t go down nicely with a bit of social media customers who’ve demanded the poster be withdrawn.

Some even demanded strict motion towards her and the hashtag ‘#ArrestLeenaManimekal’ is trending on Twitter.

“Leena Manimekalai a filmmaker portraying Hindu God as cigarettes smokers. She is Insulting Maa Kaali,” a Twitterati wrote.

Some even demanded strict motion towards her. 

After receiving flak on social media, Leena has restricted feedback on her Instagram.

She took to Twitter to submit in Tamil: “The film revolves around the events that take place one evening when Kali appears and strolls the streets of Toronto. If you see the picture, don’t put the hashtag “arrest Leena manimekalai” but put the hashtag “love you Leena manimekalai”.”

“I have nothing to lose. Till the time I live, I wish to live with a voice that speaks what I believe without fear. If the price for that is my life, it can be given,” Manimekalai wrote in one other Twitter submit in Tamil in response to an article on the controversy.

A screengrab of Leena Manimekalai’s tweet

Manimekalai, who made her function directorial debut with 2021’s ‘Maadathy – An Unfairy Tale’, is not the primary filmmaker to seek out herself in bother over spiritual references.

In 2017, for example, filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan courted controversy over the title of his Malayalam movie ‘Sexy Durga’, which explored spiritual divides in Kerala society.

The movie was later rechristened ‘S Durga’.

Last yr, Prime Video’s political saga ‘Tandav’ was on the centre of bother for a scene depicting Lord Shiva in a university theatre programme. The scene was finally dropped and the streamer issued an unconditional apology.

 Anurag Basu’s ‘Ludo’ confronted Twitterati’s ire for purportedly selling ‘Hinduphobic’ content material within the film.

‘Kaali’ is but to be proven to Indian audiences.

(With ANI and PTI inputs)