Manimekali is a poet and filmmaker whose works centre on the themes of gender, caste dynamics, globalisation, student politics, eco-feminism, art therapy, indigenous people’s rights, and LGBTQ lives. She has directed projects like Maadathy: An Unfairy Tale and Sengadal
Poster of Kaali. Twitter/@LeenaManimekali
Indian filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s film Kaali is facing severe flak from for ‘insulting’ the Hindu goddess Kaali. The goddess is shown smoking a cigarette in the poster. The performance documentary was launched in Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum on 2 July as part of “Rhythms of Canada”. Rhythms of Canada is a week-long festival that celebrates the diverse tapestry of Canadian culture.
The poster of Kaali features a woman dressed as the Goddess Kali. In the poster, the woman is seen smoking a cigarette while a pride flag hangs in the background.
View the poster here:
The performance documentary was made with the support of the Tamil Arts Collective, Queer Summer Institute and School of Arts, Media Performance and Design, York University.
The poster of the documentary has drawn flak, with several people accusing the filmmaker of ‘hurting religious sentiments’. The hashtag ‘ArrestLeenaManimekali’ has also been used by several of them. Many users have demanded strict action against the filmmaker.
Reacting to the controversy, Manimekalai wrote 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” and put the hashtag “love you Leena Manimekalai”.
View the post here:
Manimekali is a poet and filmmaker whose works centre on the themes of gender, caste dynamics, globalisation, student politics, eco-feminism, art therapy, indigenous people’s rights, and LGBTQ lives. She has directed projects like Maadathy: An Unfairy Tale and Sengadal.
This is not the first work to run afoul of social media users. In the recent past, web series like Bulbbul, Tandav and Paatal Lok were accused of ‘hurting religious sentiments. The makers of Tandav had issued an unconditional apology for hurting religious feelings. Many people had claimed that the series had shown Hindu deities in a bad light and also used casteist dialogue.
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