Tandav controversy: I&B Ministry summons Amazon Prime Video officials, seeks explanation

The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on Sunday summoned officials of Amazon Prime Video in India, in the wake of the controversy surrounding the new web series ‘Tandav’.

Earlier today, BJP MP Manoj Kotak wrote to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar, demanding a ban on the web series. “It has been observed that now a days OTT platform has become very popular especially among the youth. The platform is free from all censoring authority and in the purview of interest of freedom, sometimes they are taking undue advantage. There is no law or autonomous body governing OTT platform or digital content. Now there is urgent need to regulate the OTT platform,” Kotak wrote. 

“Programmes telecast on OTT platform is full of sex, violence, drugs, abuse, hate and vulgarity. Sometimes they also hurt the sentiments of Hindu and religious sentiments. I also noticed and expressed by many citizens across the country about recent web series Tandav released on OTT platform. It seems thtat makers of Tandav have deliberately mocked Hindu gods and disrespected Hindu religious sentiments,” the BJP MP from Mumbai-North East said in his letter. He further urged the I&B Ministry to immediately constitute a regulatory authority on OTT platform and in the meantime ban the controversial web series. 

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ram Kadam has also lodged a complaint against the makers of the web series  for allegedly insulting Hindu gods. The complaint was registered at Mumbai’s Ghatkopar police station. 

Starring actors Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Kumud Mishra, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Gauhar Khan and Kritika Kamra, Tandav premiered on the streaming platform on Friday. Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar has created, directed and produced the political drama with Himanshu Kishan Mehra and it is written by Gaurav Solanki, best known for ‘Article 15’.

READ MORE: BJP leaders lodge complaint against makers of ‘Tandav’, demand ban

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