Canada-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalai has landed in controversy after her film’s poster showed Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette. Now, the filmmaker has again whipped up a storm with her recent statements. In a recent interview with Voice of America (VOA), Manimekalai opined on how she sees Goddess Kaali.
“When I embody Kaali, I am Kaali myself. My Kaali is queer. She is a free spirit. She spits at the patriarchy. She dismantles Hindutva. She destroys capitalism. She embraces everyone with all her thousand hands,” Manimekalai was quoted as saying.
“My Kaali is queer. She is a free spirit. She spits at the patriarchy. She dismantles Hindutva. She destroys capitalism, She embraces everyone with all her thousand hands.”
As told to @VOANews
Film on Hindu Goddess Sparks Anger in India https://t.co/6QQOaCqKFn
— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) July 8, 2022
Manimekalai has also tweeted about her latest interview with VOA. The filmmaker has again stirred the hornet’s nest on social media as her comments have gone viral on Twitter. Furious netizens have flooded her tweet with comments and accused her of harming social harmony.
One Twitter user wrote, “You claim to be an atheist first, then how do you claim that Goddess Kaali is yours when you don’t even believe in her.”
O Devanindaka, you claim to be an atheist first, then how do you claim the Mother to be yours when you don’t even believe in her pic.twitter.com/Vc7tErj4eS
— Vṛtrahan (@vrtrahan_) July 9, 2022
For the past few days, Manimekalai has been continuously sharing controversial content on Twitter. A few days ago, the Kaali filmmaker tweeted a picture of a couple of artists dressed as Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. In the picture, the two artists can be seen smoking something. After her tweet caused a massive furore on social media, Manimekalai put out a clarification saying that the picture was not from her movie Kaali.
Elsewhere…. pic.twitter.com/NGYFETMehj
— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) July 7, 2022
It is worth noting that Leena Manimekalai has written and directed the short film, Kaali. She made the film as part of an academic program managed by Toronto Metropolitan University.
The whole controversy surrounding Leena Manimekalai began on July 2 when she shared Kaali’s poster on Twitter. In the poster, Hindu goddess Kaali can be seen smoking a cigarette and holding an LGBTQ+ flag.
Following her tweet, the Indian High Commission in Canada urged the Canadian authorities to withdraw provocative materials related to the short film. Consequently, Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum put out a statement saying that Manimekalai’s film will not be screened at their premises.
