Amazon Prime Apologizes From Hindus Over Tandav Controversy

Muslim actor Zeeshan Ayub who performed the character of Hindu God has also apologized after negative reaction from Hindus from different parts of the country.

MUMBAI: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-March 3^rd, 2021) Amazon prime tended its apologies over offending Hindu sentiments with its original Indian series Tandav, the latest reports said on Wednesday.

Amazon apologized after it garnered huge backlash over series Tandav.

Ali Abbas Zafar who is a Muslim filmmaker had produced this scene in which Muslim actor Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub performed the role of a Hindu God. The Hindus who are in majority in India reacted and they gave tough response to the film makers and the actors. The Hindu nationalists ran campaign to boycott Amazon.

At this, Zeeshan Ayub apologized and the scene was also edited but in vain.

Amazon in a written statement said: “Amazon Prime Video again deeply regrets that viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable in the recently launched fictional series Tandav,”. It explained: “This was never our intention, and the scenes that were objected to were removed or edited when they were brought to our attention. We respect our viewers’ diverse beliefs and apologise unconditionally to anyone who felt hurt by these scenes. Our teams follow company content evaluation processes, which we acknowledge need to be constantly updated to better serve our audiences. We will continue to develop entertaining content with partners, while complying with the laws of India and respecting the diversity of culture and beliefs of our audiences,”.

The controversy came into limelight when police asked a top Amazon executive about the show.

Last month, An official of Bhartia Janta Party (BJP)—the ruling party, lodged a complaint with a police station against Amazon Prime, alleging that its series insulted Hindus gods and goddess. Ram Kadam, the complainant, also announced to run countrywide protest against the company in Mumbai.

“Tandav” also grabbed ire of other lawmakers from other BJP leaders for e-commerce giant over controversial content.

In a letter to India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, BJP Member Parliament Manoj Kotak said that the makers of Tandav intentionally mocked Hindu gods and goddess, and disrespected Hindu religious sentiments.

He also called on the ministry to immediately form an authority to regulate streaming platform, and asked for ban on the series.

India is big market for giant techs and it is also correct if it is said that India is the battleground for Amazon, Netflix and Disney after the streaming services gained traction in India owing to availability of affordable smartphones and cheap mobile data.