A little over a day since launch, Amazon Prime Video’s Tandav has been mired in controversy. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the 9-part series is a political thriller set in Delhi. The show is fronted by Saif Ali Khan (as politician Samar Pratap Singh) and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub (as student activist-turned-leader Shiva Shekhar).
On Saturday, BJP leader Kapil Mishra accused the show of being ‘anti Dalit’ and ‘full of communal hatred against Hindus’. In the show, there’s a scene where Anup Sonii’s character, a Dalit politician, is himilitaed by an upper-caste PM, played by Tigmanshu Dhulia.
“Tandav is anti Dalit and full of communal hatred against Hindus Please write to @PrakashJavdekar ji Email : minister.inb@gov.in,” Kapil Mishra wrote. He ended his tweet with the hashtag #BanTandavNow.
Elsewhere, sections of Twitter have been offended by a scene where Zeeshan is seen playing Lord Shiva on stage. Detractors have objected to the line, “Azaadi, what the…?”, saying it creates a ‘mockery’ of the Hindu deity.