On Tuesday, Amazon.com Inc’s Prime Video streaming service proceeded with a rare apology to its Indian viewers for some scenes in its original political drama series Tandav, which reportedly offended Hindu religious beliefs.
Starring top Bollywood actors, Tandav is a Hindi word meaning “fury”. In several states, police complaints and court cases were filed against the drama alleging it had depicted Hindu gods and goddesses in a derogatory manner and offended religious beliefs. It has also been criticized by the Lawmakers from India’s ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
In a statement titled “Amazon Prime Video Apologises”, the company said it deeply regrets viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable.
The creators of ‘Tandav’ confirms some changes to be implemented over ‘concerning’ scenes
Amazon apologizes “unconditionally to anyone who felt hurt,” it said, adding that it will continue to develop content while respecting the diversity of audiences’ culture and beliefs.
The “Tandav” controversy escalated last week when police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh questioned one of Amazon’s top executives for hours in one case filed against the show.
Through a source of police official, authorities are likely to continue investigating the matter.
Shows on streaming platforms such as Netflix Inc and Amazon Prime have often faced complaints in India for obscenity or offending beliefs, but the latest controversy involving the Amazon show Tandav is among the highest-profile cases.
