In Mira Nair’s widely acclaimed series A Suitable Boy , the Hindu heroine Lata Mehra (Tanya Maniktala) loves the Muslim hero Danesh(Kanir Durrani). Their shared kiss in a temple has caused a widespread uproar in right-wing quarters with many netizens asking not only for a ban on Mira’s serial but also on Netflix which hosted the show.
Netizens want to know why a cross-cultural couple is shown getting intimate on religious grounds and would the same be permissible in another place of worship.While Mira Nair and Netflix refrained from comment a source close to the series told this writer that Mira has no intentions of editing out the kisses.
“Once you give in(to radical demands) there is no end to their objections. The kisses are shot on temple premise as this is the only place a couple can get privacy in a small town where everyone knows everyone. The intention is clearly not to insult any religion or place of worship.”
Earlier Netflix faced flak when there was widespread outrage on the social media against a feature film Chippa written and directed by Safdar Rahman. The film delineates a 10-year old boy’s search across Kolkata for his biological father . In the course of his journey the boy,played by the talented Sunny Pawar comes across a Muslim seniors-citizen who tells the boy a story wherein the name of Hanuman comes up prominently as a substitute for ‘Monkey’
Rightly outraged. Twitter users are asked for a ban not only on the film but also on Netflix in India.