“Tandav” controversy: Amazon series face ban in India

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Authorities are studying claims that Amazon’s new Prime Video series, “Tandav,” includes religiously insensitive content. Several Indian politicians say they have complained to the police or regulators of the company and the creators of the program.

The title is a political drama that has been compared to success Netflix (NFLX) “House of Letters” series. It was launched last Friday on Amazon’s streaming service and features some of Bollywood’s top names, including celebrity director Ali Abbas Zafar and actor Saif Ali Khan.

The show follows a famous power politician who is willing to do anything to become the country’s prime minister. It is vaguely based on real political controversies that have erupted across the country as Hindu nationalism has grown.

However, the representation of some Hindu deities in the show has provoked the wrath of local legislators. Manoj Kotak, Member of Parliament in Bombay, dit Sunday on Twitter that he wrote to the country’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting urging him to “ban it” [the] controversial web series “.

Kotak, a member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the show’s creators seemed to “deliberately mock the Hindu gods.”

CNN Business has requested feedback from both Amazon and Zafar, the series director, but has yet to receive a response.

Authorities are intervening

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which has announced plans to begin regulating broadcast services, said Monday it had contacted Amazon executives about the program.

“There will be a discussion about that,” a spokesman told CNN Business.

The series has prompted other lawmakers to go to the police. Ram Kadam, another BJP leader and local lawmaker in the state of Maharashtra, said he filed a police complaint in Bombay over the weekend, accusing Amazon of intending to “outrage religious sentiments” and publish “material which may cause damage “.

Local police confirmed that they had received Kadam’s complaint, but had not yet initiated any investigation.

Police on Sunday launched an independent investigation in the state of Uttar Pradesh against Zafar, as well as Aparna Purohit, head of Amazon for the original content of Amazon’s original video, according to a media advisor for the prime minister of the state.
The series has also been affected by negative reviews on Amazon, which claim that the program promotes a “Hindu-phobic agenda” or is considered “anti-Hindu”.

A critical market

India is a crucial market for Amazon. This month, a company executive called the country “one of the most exciting broadcast markets in the world right now.”

During the pandemic, the company “doubled our investment in films in this period,” Gaurav Gandhi, director and CEO of Amazon Prime Video in India, told Deadline in a recent interview.

Original content is key to this strategy, with more than 80 titles in production or development, according to Purohit.

It is not the first time Amazon has encountered hot water in India.

The tech and e-commerce giant has had to remove products from its place that offended customers, such as a fleece showing the Indian flag or a skateboard depicting an image of the Hindu god Ganesha. (Critics said the sale of these goods was disrespectful, as it involved placing one’s feet on revered or religious symbols).
The incident “Tandav” also recalls a recent encounter with Netflix (NFLX) in India. Last year, the streaming giant faced boycott calls in the country over a now-famous kissing scene in one of its shows.

The exchange, which takes place in the series, “A Suitable Child,” shows a young Hindu being kissed by a Muslim man in a Hindu temple. The show angered some viewers in India and sparked a police complaint against Netflix executives.

Netflix declined to comment Monday on the current status of this complaint. A police officer told CNN Business that the investigation was ongoing.

Netflix faces boycott calls in India for kissing scene
The news comes at a sensitive time for broadcasting services in the country. Last fall, the Indian government announced new rules for digital media, saying online streaming platforms would be regulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

This could force companies like Amazon and Netflix to follow the same restrictions as traditional media, such as rules on violence or nudity.

– CNN’s Vedika South contributed to this report.

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