Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai, who recently courted controversy over her film’s poster showing Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette, is again facing wrath on social media over her latest tweet. Manimekalai shared a picture of two individuals, dressed as Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, smoking.
After Manimekalai’s tweet, many users on the micro-blogging platform demanded legal action against her.
Facing backlash for the poster of her documentary Kaali, the Madurai-born filmmaker, in her latest tweet, said that this was her way of showing how folk artists de-stress after a show.
“BJP payrolled troll army have no idea about how folk theatre artists chill post their performances. This is not from my film. This is from everyday rural India that these sangh parivars want to destroy with their relentless hate & religious bigotry. Hindutva can never become India,” read the tweet.
Elsewhere…. pic.twitter.com/NGYFETMehj
— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) July 7, 2022
Twitter had removed Leena’s controversial post, which showed a woman, dressed in a costume of goddess Kaali, smoking.
After her post was removed, Leena also called out Twitter for not taking action against the trolls. “This is hilarious. Will @TwitterIndia withhold the tweets of the 200000 hate mongers?! These lowlife trolls tweeted and spread the very same poster that they find objectionable.,” she tweeted.
This is hilarous.Will @TwitterIndia withhold the tweets of the 200000 hate mongers?! These lowlife trolls tweeted and spread the very same poster that they find objectionable. Kaali cannot be lynched. Kaali cannot be raped. Kaali cannot be destroyed. She is the goddess of death. https://t.co/oVmUfRjMT3
— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) July 6, 2022
Multiple FIRs have been filed against the Toronto based filmmaker over the Kaali poster row. FIRs have been filed against her in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh under Section 295A of Indian Penal Code. She has been accused of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
