'Tandav', 'Sacred Games, 'Mirzapur': Amid Centre's new OTT guidelines, look at web series that courted controversies

Amazon Prime'0s India head of original content Aparna Purohit Hazratganj police station to record her statement in a case related to web series `Tandav` for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

On January 18, an FIR had been registered at Lucknow's Hazratganj Kotwali against Amazon Prime's India head of original content Aparna Purohit, director of the web series 'Tandav' Ali Abbas Zafar, its producer Himanshu Krishna Mehra, writer Gaurav Solanki and others for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. BJP leader Ram Kadam had earlier said that he has filed a complaint at Mumbai's Ghatkopar Police Station against 'Tandav'. Expressing similar concerns, BJP leader Manoj Kotak had written a letter to Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.

The Supreme Court on January 27 refused to grant interim protection from arrest to actor Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub and makers of web series 'Tandav' and allowed them to approach High Courts for relief from arrest or quashing of FIRs.

A Delhi Court on January 23 adjourned the hearing in a criminal complaint seeking action against the makers of Saif Ali Khan starrer web series 'Tandav' for April 19, 2021.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee's 'The Family Man' courted controversy when RSS raised objections about a few dialogues in the series in relation to the Indian government's action of abrogating Article 370 in which it granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Based on a novel by Prayaag Akbar, the 2019 Netflix show by Deepa Mehta, was called 'anti Hindu' for depicting the dystopian future of Aryavarta where purity of blood is enforced. Huma Qureshi played the lead role in the series. 

In fact, in September 2019, Ramesh N Solanki, a Hindu activist and member of Shiv Sena's IT Cell, filed a complaint against US-based digital media platform Netflix for defaming Hindus.

A part of Solanki's complaint against several web series on the platform read: "Aryavrat will be a land of bigots, casteists, Muslim-hating, women-hating patriarchal sect. The term 'Aryavrat' is an undertone to suggest that the Hindu Rashtra is/will be of this kind. The SC's earlier verdict that was recently upheld said that Hindu is a way of life. And to suggest that the way of life will be like a radical cult, is demeaning and hurts our religious sentiments." 

In September 2020, a day after 'Mirzapur 2' released, Member of Parliament from Mirzapur constituency Anupriya Patel demanded action against the web series alleging that the show is maligning the image of the Uttar Pradesh city by portraying it as a 'violent' region.

Taking to her verified Instagram handle, Patel said that through the web series 'Mirzapur', on one hand, while the makers are portraying it as a violent city, on the other the show is also spreading ethnic disharmony. 

Amazon Prime Video's 'Pataal Lok' starring Jaideep Ahlawat, produced by Anushka Sharma, faced legal trouble when a BJP MLA filed an FIR against the show and the producer alleging that the makers had used his image without permission. 

MLA Nandkishore Gurjar's image is used in the scene in 'Paatal Lok' during a scene when a national highway is inaugurated. Not just Nandkishore, but various other BJP leaders, including UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's image has been used in the scene.

Besides the FIR, Gurjar demanded that a case be filed against Anushka under National Security Act, for causing a communal stir. His complaint reads that the show portrays castes in Sanatan Dharma and different Hindu agencies in a negative light, which is 'anti-national'. He also argued that it shows Gurjars as dacoits and people associated with malpractices.

Much like the Gorkha community's claims, Gurajar also accused the show of using casteist slurs, thus indicating that certain castes are of lower stature in the society. He further mentioned that the show creates differences among different castes in India, like the Jats of Punjab, Brahmins and Tyagis. He also said that the show tries to malign BJP's image and tries to create a terror-free image of Pakistan, which insults India in the world's eyes.

Ramesh N Solanki, a Hindu activist and member of Shiv Sena's IT Cell had filed a complaint against several shows on Netfilx, Ghoul being one of them. 

The horror series Ghoul indicates that India, in order to curb terrorism is terrorising Muslims and snatching their fundamental rights, the plaint alleges.

The Indian Army is shown as the one killing people who are considered to be radical but who actually aren't. Custodial killings have been shown as a routine affair by the Army.

"One cannot allow an incorrect generalisation based on bogus rhetorics (sic) trying to defame a religious minority i.e. Hindu in countries other than India," Solanki said in his complaint.

In December 2020, a plea was filed against the controversial portrayal of Hindu saints in the show. 

For the uninformed, in the web series, Bobby Deol has played the central role akin to some self-styled godmen convicted and serving jail terms for various penal offences in different parts of the country, including Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The petition against the web series Aashram, resembling the name of a convicted godman, was filed by a local resident named Khush Khandelwal, the report said. 

His petition read, "The portrayal of Deol as a Hindu saint has hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, who respect and worship saints. His portrayal as a rapist, corrupt, and drug dealer has diminished the place saints hold for Hindus." 

Khandelwal had earlier complained to the police, seeking registration of an FIR against the filmmaker and the actor, but with the police refusing to lodge any case over his complaint, he had moved the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJMM) with the same plea.

With the ACJMM too rejecting his plea, Khandelwal had then approached the Jodhpur district and session judge challenging the ACJJM's previous decision.

However, later, speaking about the controversies surrounding Aashram 2, director Prakash Jha said, "When you make something that affects the masses, a polarised reaction is to be expected", adding that no Hinduphobic sentiments are being propagated on the show and that there's no mention of any religion.

During its season two-run, Sacred Games courted several controversies. 

A member of the Congress party filed a petition against the show for its depiction of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

In fact, the second season was slammed for hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs. BJP leader Tajinder Pal Bagga filed an FIR against director Anurag Kashyap for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Sikhs, and Akali Dal's Manjinder Singh Sirsa had also called out the show. 

Even for its portrayal of a character called Guruji, the makes faced the ire of the netizens for showing the spiritual leader as a man of questionable morals. 

In fact, Sacred Games was yet another series against which Ramesh N Solanki, a Hindu activist and member of Shiv Sena's IT Cell had filed a complaint. 

The Sacred Games series, produced by Anurag Kashyap, shows Hindus responsible for all crimes happening in the world, including US killings. "Aham Brahmasami, a Vedic chant and a sacred hymn has been framed as a war cry. People belonging to a cult greet each other with this hymn, suggesting that the hymn radicalises people to indulge in the war against humanity. The film generalises a revered concept of Guruji in the Bharatiya school of thoughts. The agenda is to demean the Guru-Shishya parampara with overtly sexual gestures," Solanki wrote in his complaint.

"One of our country's social reformer is fondly called Guruji and this series seems to attack the revered person. To show the ruling dispensation is influenced by Guruji is to show that the Government of India is influenced by RSS and RSS' Guruji will go for a nuclear war. That the RSS vide Guruji will use Muslims to spread terror. In order to avoid controversy, the producer suggested that the character is based on Rajneesh. Not the plot of the series but its agenda is a sinister plot," he said in the complaint.