Maa Kaali poster controversy: A desperate attempt to grab eyeballs and stoke communal tensions

While the right to free speech (which also includes creative freedom) is legally enshrined in the Indian constitution, there is much debate over what qualifies as free speech and hate speech. Documentary filmmaker Leena Manimekalai landed herself in hot water on Sunday over a poster of her film which shows a woman dressed as Goddess Kaali, smoking a cigarette. The poster left the Twitterati enraged with one of them filing a complaint with Delhi police alleging that the poster hurts the sentiments of the Hindu community. However, taking a stand against the bashing, she later posted in Tamil: “The film revolves around the events that take place one evening when Kali appears and strolls the streets of Toronto. If you see the picture, don’t put the hashtag “arrest Leena Manimekalai” but put the hashtag “love you Leena Manimekalai”.” While I am a strong supporter of free speech and an advocate of creative liberty, the poster made me uncomfortable, especially given India’s volatile political climate and the communal tensions which are at an all-time high. To put things in perspective, in the last couple of months alone, a statement by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma led to nationwide protests and clashes between the Hindus and the Muslims followed by massive blowback by the Arab nations which culminated in the gruesome and terrifying murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu tailor, in Rajasthan’s Udaipur. Given the volatile nature of the times, we are living in - when there have been major protests against all Indian cities (if we were to include the protest over the Agnipath scheme), shouldn’t our directors and filmmakers exercise caution before portraying a religious figure, irrespective of the religion, in a manner which could be hurtful to the sentiments of a community? While art should be free and force us to think critically and question society’s narrative and subvert the power structures, shouldn’t it be responsible too? Had the poster been released at a time when the communal tensions weren’t as high as they are now, it would have sparked a rather interesting and intellectually stimulating conversation on what qualifies as art and if freedom of speech should be absolute. Unfortunately, given the times we are living in, India cannot afford to have that conversation. The Indian air is communally charged and now is the time when all Indians, irrespective of which community they belong to, need to be together and more accepting and empathetic towards each other’s religion. This is why Leena Manimekalai’s poster seems to be less of an attempt to subvert the power structures but more of an attempt to raise eyebrows and cause controversy. It is also important to note that while Leena Manimekalai was born and brought up in Madurai, she is now based in Canada which makes her involvement in the documentary film a bit too convenient. While documentary filmmakers in India have to face persecution by the government and even death threats, Leena Manimekalai is at a safe distance from India where the Indian authorities wouldn’t bully her with their intimidation tactics. However, her poster now might make it harder for Indian directors and producers, who are based in India, to question the government and the establishment.

All in all, Leena Manimekalai’s poster is not only ill-timed, but it will also significantly hamper the discourse on free speech and take us backward. Needless to say, artists should be more responsible and conscious of the political climate of a country while releasing their art. Read all the Latest News _, _ Trending News _, _ Cricket News _, _ Bollywood News _, _ India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook _, _ Twitter and Instagram _._