After Hollywood and Bollywood, now it is the turn of Nepal`s film industry, affectionately dubbed Kollywood, to face angry action by ruffled Hindu groups.
|Last Updated: Apr 19, 2010, 01:59 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Kathmandu: After Hollywood and Bollywood, now it is the turn of Nepal`s film industry, affectionately dubbed Kollywood, to face angry action by ruffled Hindu groups.
The Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh (VHM), a pro-Hindu, formerly royalist religious group in Nepal that has close ties with India`s Bharatiya Janata Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has trained its sights on a newly released action film, saying it has insulted Hindu religious sentiments.
The VHM, that is also campaigning for the restoration of Hinduism as the state religion in Nepal, has filed a complaint with the chief district officer of Kathmandu against the new release "Hifajat" (Custody) directed by Gyanendra Deuja.
The group`s feathers have been ruffled by a three-minute song sequence and a brief fight scene in which the heroine wears an outfit that is a cross between a tank top and a bikini, a scarf round her head and a strip of cloth around her waist.
All three are made of the bright yellow coloured cloth worn by Hindu mendicants with "Hare Ram Hare Krishna" and "Om Namoh Shivayo" printed all over in red.
The heroine is Rekha Thapa, famous for doing her own stunts, and voted the best actress in 2009.
Thapa hit international headlines after allegedly ticking off Bollywood villain Shakti Kapoor for misbehaving with her during a shoot and then, more famously, for attending a Maoist public protest where she sang a duet and shook a leg with Maoist chief and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.
Supported in its campaign by two other Hindu organisations, the Dharma Sanskriti Samrakshan Manch and Vishwa Hindu Yuva Sangh, the VHM says it is an insult to religious sentiments to have the holy chants "draped over sensitive parts of a woman`s body".
The film was cleared by the censor board.
After the complaint filed last week, police have removed posters of the film from two cinemas in the capital where it was being shown and also halted the screening.
While the administration is moving gingerly due to the volatile situation in the country with the government unlikely to be able to meet a major peace deadline next month, the action however has angered Nepal`s blogging community which said religion should not be dragged into such minor issues.
"If writing chants on (the) body is against Hindu sentiments, why don`t they talk with (Bollywood actor and Hema Malini`s daughter) Esha Deol... about removing (the) Gayatri Mantra tattoo on her back?" an exasperated blogger, wanted to know.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.