The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant relief to the makers of Tandav, saying freedom of speech is not absolute. The makers, along with actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, had moved the apex court seeking protection from arrest in criminal cases filed against them in several states.

Rejecting their plea, the SC directed the makers to seek relief from individual High Courts in the matter. It also dismissed the claim that views expressed by a character cannot be attributed to the actor.

In the show, Zeeshan essays a charismatic student leader named Shiva Shankar. His impersonation of Lord Shiva in a now-deleted scene has been deemed hurtful to religious sentiments.

“Your right to freedom of speech is not absolute. You cannot play the role of a character that hurts the sentiments of a community,” the bench said.

Reacting to the statement, Konkona Sensharma tweeted, “Almost all involved in the show have read the script and signed the contract! Let’s arrest the whole cast and crew?”

Gauahar Khan, one of the female leads in the show, responded to the decision with emojis. Richa Chadha also shared the news and wrote, “Priorities of the apex court!”