Kaali poster row: Aga Khan Museum regrets causing offence to Hindus; removes documentary presentation
Toronto-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalai shared the poster of her documentary Kaali' on Twitter on Saturday, which shows the goddess smoking and holding an LGBTQ flag in her hand.
FollowToronto's Aga Khan Museum has stated it 'deeply regrets' offending the Hindu community and those belonging to other faiths and has removed the presentation of the controversial documentary 'Kaali'. This move came after the Indian mission in Ottawa urged the Canadian authorities to remove all "provocative material" related to the controversial film.
Toronto-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalai shared the poster of her documentary Kaali' on Twitter on Saturday, which shows the goddess smoking and holding an LGBTQ flag in her hand.
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The poster led to a social media storm with the hashtag 'Arrest Leena Manimekalai' and allegations that the filmmaker had hurt religious sentiments. A group member going by the name Gau Mahasabha' said he had filed a complaint with Delhi Police.
Responding to the uproar on Twitter, the museum said in a statement that it deeply regrets that Kaali had "inadvertently caused offence to members of the Hindu and other faith communities."
Toronto Metropolitan University brought together works from students of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, each student exploring their individual sense of belonging as part of Canadian multiculturalism for the project Under the Tent', it said on Tuesday.
Toronto Metropolitan University's project presentation was hosted once at the Aga Khan Museum on July 2, 2022, in the context of the museum's mission to foster intercultural understanding and dialogue through the arts. Respect for diverse religious expressions and faith communities is integral to that mission. The statement read that the presentation is no longer being shown at the museum.
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The museum deeply regrets that one of the 18 short videos from Under the Tent' and its accompanying social media post have inadvertently caused offence to members of the Hindu and other faith communities, it added.
Manimekalai, born in Madurai in Tamil Nadu, said she would continue to use her voice fearlessly till she is alive. "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 a Twitter post in Tamil in response to an article on the controversy.
"The film is about the events during Kaali's strolls through the streets of Toronto city one fine evening. If they watch the movie, they will put the hashtag 'love you Leena Manimekalai' rather than 'Arrest Leena Manimekalai'," she added in reply to another article.
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Manimekalai, who made her feature directorial debut with 2021's "Maadathy - An Unfairy Tale", isn't the first filmmaker to find herself in trouble over religious references.
In 2017, for instance, filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan courted controversy over the title of his Malayalam film "Sexy Durga", which explored religious divides in Kerala society. The film was later rechristened "S Durga".
Last year, Prime Video's political saga Tandav was at the centre of trouble for a scene depicting Lord Shiva in a college theatre programme. The scene was eventually dropped and the streamer issued an unconditional apology. Kaali' is yet to be shown to Indian audiences.
(With inputs from PTI)
