A film poster that depicts a woman dressed as Hindu goddess Kali smoking a cigarette has sparked anger in India.
Documentary filmmaker Leena Manimekalai shared a poster of her new film on social media stating it was a part of the ‘Rhythms of Canada’ segment at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.
"Super thrilled to share the launch of my recent film - today at @AgaKhanMuseumas part of its 'Rhythms of Canada'. Feeling pumped with my CREW," Manimekalai had tweeted with the poster.
A complaint was filed against Indian documentary filmmaker Leena Manimekalai for a poster in her new film ‘Kaali’ where a woman dressed as the Hindu deity is seen smoking. The complaint filed with the Delhi Police on Monday said Manimekalai had hurt Hindu sentiments. On Tuesday, police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh registered a complaint against the director for the "disrespectful depiction" of Hindu gods.
Soon after, the hashtag #ArrestLeenaManimekalai started trending on Twitter with users calling for action against the filmmaker.
"Leena Manimekalai a filmmaker portraying Hindu God as cigarette smokers. She is Insulting Maa Kaali," wrote a user.
"I demand the arrest of Leena Manimekalai. We won't tolerate the disrespect of our GODDESS KAALI MAA. We all the way of Tamil government this time.@beingarun28@TheDeepak2022#ArrestLeenaManimekalai," another user said.
“Today I am raising my voice for the arrest of an anti-Hindu filmmaker. Will you all be with me,” tweeted another user, with the hashtag.