Kaali Cigarette Poster Row: Who is Leena Manimekalai?

Kaali Movie Poster Controversy, Who is Leena Manimekalai: Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai has been trending huge ever for the reason that launch of the poster of her documentary movie Kaali. The poster has sparked a significant row on social media for allegedly hurting spiritual sentiments with the depiction of Goddess Kali. In the poster, a girl is seen dressed as Goddess Kaali whereas smoking a cigarette. Several complaints have been registered in opposition to Leena Manimekalai in numerous components of the nation. One of the FIRs learn, “It’s highly objectionable and not acceptable in any manner.” Since the discharge of Kaali poster, the netizens have been curious to find out about filmmaker Leena Manimekalai as she has been going through main criticism from political events and the Hindu group.Also Read – Kaali Movie Poster Row LIVE: Ayodhya’s Mahant Issues Threats Against Leena Manimekalai After FIR in UP

Who is Leena Manimekalai?

Leena Manimekalai is a Toronto-based filmmaker who shared the poster of Kaali which depicted a girl wearing a fancy dress portraying the goddess whereas smoking. A flag of the LGBT group is seen within the background. In a tweet, she revealed that her movie was being screened as a part of the ‘Rhythms of Canada’ phase on the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. “Super thrilled to share the launch of my recent film – today at @AgaKhanMuseum as part of its ‘Rhythms of Canada’. Feeling pumped with my CREW,” Leena had tweeted. Also Read – Nusrat Jahan Reacts To Leena Manimekalai’s Kaali Poster Controversy, Says Religious Sentiments Shouldn’t Be Hurt

Leena Manimekalai is a queer Tamil filmmaker who defined the movie descends upon a BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color). “While she chooses to walk in the streets of downtown Toronto, she meets up with people of varied ethnicities, color, race and language. She shares a cigarette with a street dweller at the Park. She simply celebrates life and embraces love as a goddess of free spirit,” stated Manimekalai, who needs everybody to take a look at the poster as reflecting that second of humanity, compassion and sharing. Also Read – Indian High Commission In Canada On ‘Kaali’ Poster Controversy: ‘Withdraw Provocative Material’

Leena Manimekalai’s Qualification

Leena is an MFA Grad scholar in Film at York University in Toronto. She acknowledged in her interview with The Quint, “It was an admission award and I was invited to study with a full scholarship in the year 2020. But I could not reach Toronto till 2022 firstly because of the pandemic and the second reason was the impoundment of my passport based on the bizarrest #metoo defamation case. I had to wage a four tier legal battle and get the clearance from the Supreme court of India to be able to travel, study, and work. Under the Tent, the program managed by Canada Chair of excellence in research creation (Migration) at the Toronto Metropolitan University chose me as one of the cohort of film grads across Canada and invited me to make a film on multiculturalism. Kaali is my take on multiculturalism in Canada.”

What is The Controversy Around the Kaali Movie Poster?

Leena Manimekalai introduced her movie Kaali with a poster that portrayed the Hindu Goddess Kaali. The visuals on the poster didn’t go down properly with a piece of individuals in India who demanded the poster be withdrawn and the movie be banned. Some even demanded strict motion in opposition to the director, leading to a number of FIRs in her identify throughout the nation. Leena talked about the story behind the viral poster. “Kaali in my film chooses love and champions humanity. She embraces people from varied ethnicities, race, and colour while she walks across the streets of downtown Toronto. She shares a cigarette with a street dweller in the park, listening to reggae. She descends upon me, the BIPOC Queer Filmmaker and holds the queer flag and camera in her extraordinarily powerful and equally graceful hands. Now tell me who is hurting whose sentiments?”, she instructed The Quint.

In a tweet, Leena wrote that “The film revolves around the events that take place one evening when Kali appears and strolls the streets of Toronto. If you see the picture, don’t put the hashtag “arrest Leena manimekalai” however put the hashtag “love you Leena manimekalai.”

Complaint Statement Against Leena Manimekalai

The criticism in opposition to Leena Manimekalai was first filed on July 2 in Delhi after a lawyer reached the cyber cell of Delhi Police alleging that the movie poster harm the spiritual sentiments of the Hindu group. A report printed in information company IANS quoted the lawyer as saying, “The Director has hurt my religious sentiments by showing Goddess Kali smoking which is highly objectionable and not acceptable in any manner.” The complainant referred to as the poster ‘deplorable’ and added that utilizing it to advertise a movie is very ‘outrageous, atrocious and hurting the sentiments and beliefs of the Hindu community.’

Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa revealed {that a} case has been registered in opposition to the director beneath part 153A (Promoting enmity between completely different teams on grounds of faith, race, hometown, residence, language, and so on., and doing acts prejudicial to upkeep of concord) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, meant to outrage spiritual emotions of any class by insulting its faith or spiritual beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code was made out.

What Leena Manimekalai Has to Say About The Controversy Around Her Movie Kaali?I’ve nothing to lose: Reacting to the Kaali film poster controversy, Leena Manimekalai stated nothing can cease her from expressing herself and if the value of talking out is her life then she is going to fortunately give it away.The filmmaker wrote within the Tamil language that translated into: “I have nothing to lose. I want to be with a voice that speaks without fear of anything until it is. If the price is my life, I will give it (sic).”India is sinking right into a darkish gap of hate and bigotry: In an interview with The Federal, Leena Manimekalai stated, “The current Hindu fundamentalist fascist regime has erased all the rich legacy of democracy, diversity and pluralism of this country. These bigots have nothing to do with faith. They are dividing the people in the name of religion and cashing on hate.”They are attacking my household: When requested Leena, whether or not she anticipated this sort of a unfavourable response to her Kaali film poster, she stated, “It is horrendous. They are just attacking everyone in my crew, my family, my friends and even the people who follow me on social media handles. This mob mafia violence is where we have arrived as a society”.Leena Manimekailai addressed the trolls: Amid social media requires her arrest, Manimekalai instructed ThePrint that she would “invite all the critics to watch it.” She additionally added, “Any open-minded person will be touched by her”.They are simply unleashed by the Hindu fundamentalist regime: Leena in an interview with The Wire stated, “Just search for #ArrestLeenaManimekalai and you will see thousands of trolls with verified ids virtually molesting, raping, attacking, lynching and morphing pictures doxxed from my accounts,” she factors out. “Who sanctions them with this kind of mindless power? Who runs this hate-mongering stack? They are just unleashed by the Hindu fundamentalist regime. Welcome to India, the killing fields of minorities, artists, activists, journalists and dissenters.”Leena Manimekalai’s thought of Goddess Kaali: The filmmaker defined that the function of Kaali is impressed from Tamil and Telugu village rituals the place she comes on folks as a spirit and eats meat, smokes ganja, drinks nation arrack, urinates in the midst of the village, spits on filth and dances wild. “I embodied her and chose to walk across the streets of downtown Toronto, the land of immigrants, to understand settler colonialism”, Leena spoke to The Wire.Death threats issued to Leena Manimekalai:

A bit of the group has additionally demanded a ban on the movie whereas a seer has issued dying threats to the director in India. Mahant Raju Das of Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya issued a menace to filmmaker Leena Manimekalai on Wednesday. He referred to the Nupur Sharma case and stated the director is inviting the identical menace because the suspended BJP spokesperson.

Mahant Raju Das stated, “Look at the recent events. When Nupur Sharma said the right things, it sparked fire across India, and across the world. But you want to insult the Hindu religion? Kya chaahte ho, tumhara bhi sar tan se juda ho jaaye (Do you also want your head to be separated from your body)? Is this what you want?” He additional referred to as Leena’s documentary an ‘insult to Sanatan dharam and Hindu gods and goddesses.’