The first case has been registered against the makers of the web-series 'Tandav' that has been grabbing the limelight for its controversial scene. The case has been filed under sections 505 (2), 153 (a), and 295 (a) of IPC. The FIR that has been registered in Ghatkopar Police Station, Mumbai includes names of the director & producer including Ali Abbas Zafar, Himanshu Mehra, Aparna Purohit, Gaurav Solanki, and Amit Aggarwal, and others. Not only this, but the names of actors Saif Ali Khan who plays the role of a politician, and Zeeshan Ayyub (college student) have also been included.
Tandav", a nine-episode political thriller starring Bollywood A-listers Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, started streaming last week. At the centre of the row is a scene with Zeeshan Ayyub, in the role of college student Shiva, playing the Hindu god Mahadev in a theatre production.
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In Uttar Pradesh, three FIRs have been lodged against the makers and artists of "Tandav" -- in Lucknow, Greater Noida and Shahjahanpur. The complainants have alleged inappropriate depiction of UP Police personnel, Hindu deities, and adverse portrayal of a character playing prime minister in the political drama.
As the controversy escalated, the show makers on Tuesday tried to defuse the situation by announcing their decision to remove the controversial portion from the show. The cast and crew of the show on Tuesday also said they had decided to implement changes to "address concerns".
In their second apology statement in two days, the show's team also thanked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for its "guidance & support" in the matter.
On Monday, Madhya Pradesh medical education minister Vishvas Sarang appealed to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar seeking ban on the web series for allegedly ridiculing Hindu deities. Sarang had also written a letter to Javadekar in this regard and suggested formation of a censor board for the OTT segment.
The minister had said that he mailed a letter to CEO of Amazon Prime to immediately withdraw the web series.
-With PTI inputs