Kaali poster row
Indian High Commission urges Canada authorities to remove Kaali poster
Toronto: Leaders of the Hindu community in Canada have complained to the Indian High Commission over the 'disrespectful depiction' of Hindu Gods on the poster of a film showcased as part of the 'Under the Tent' project at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto.
"Our Consulate General in Toronto has conveyed these concerns to the organizers of the event," the Indian High Commission in Ottawa said in a statement.
"We are also informed that several Hindu groups have approached authorities in Canada to take action," it said.
"We urge the Canadian authorities and the event organizers to withdraw all such provocative material," the statement added.
What is this controversy?
The poster of a documentary titled Kaali is creating quite a stir online for showing the Hindu goddess Kaali smoking a cigarette.
It all started after the director, Leena Manimekalai, shared the poster of the film on Twitter.
Super thrilled to share the launch of my recent film - today at @AgaKhanMuseum as part of its “Rhythms of Canada”
— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) July 2, 2022
Link: https://t.co/RAQimMt7Ln
I made this performance doc as a cohort of https://t.co/D5ywx1Y7Wu@YorkuAMPD @TorontoMet @YorkUFGS
Feeling pumped with my CREW❤️ pic.twitter.com/L8LDDnctC9
The poster shows a woman, dressed in a Goddess Kaali costume, smoking a cigarette.
Apart from her usual accoutrements of trishul (trident) and sickle, the actor playing the goddess is also shown wielding the LGBTQ+ community's pride flag.
(Reporting by Suman Das)
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