Canadian movie depicting Hindu goddess smoking sparks outrage in India
The Hindu goddess Kaali is a fearsome being, often depicted holding the severed head of a demon, her tongue lolling out and her foot on top of the chest of a prone Shiva, the deity’s husband.
But when a filmmaker portrayed Kaali smoking a cigarette in a poster for a movie set in Toronto, it was a step too far for many Indian Hindus.
The image uploaded Saturday has sparked online outrage in the country, while India’s high commission in Ottawa issued a statement Monday demanding that Canadian authorities and the organizers of a festival at Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum remove the offending film.
The movie, called simply Kaali, documents the deity’s imaginary appearance one night in the streets of Toronto. Director Leena Manimekalai — who is studying for a master’s degree in film at York University — says the goddess in her movie “chooses love and champions humanity.”
https://calgaryherald.com/news/canada/canadian-movie-depicting-hindu-goddess-smoking-sparks-outrage-in-india-high-commission-complaint/wcm/be57a01f-15f7-42ba-9011-3dcc6759019e
= new reply since forum marked as read
