New-Age Media and the Genesis of Hindutva

Ali Abbas Zafar’s digital debut Tandav web series on Amazon Prime aired on 15 January 2021 (Zafar 2021) got engulfed in controversy for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and for derogatory caste-based remarks. Amazon Prime apologized unconditionally to its viewers for hurting public sentiments following 10 FIRs against Tandav (2021) for scenes that portrayed Hindu Gods in poor light and caste references (“Amazon Prime Apologises for Tandav: We Respect Our Viewers’ Diverse Beliefs and Apologise Unconditionally” 2021). The apology came after the Allahabad High Court refused the anticipatory bail plea to Aparna Purohit, the India content chief of Amazon Prime. Ali Abbas Zafar reiterated that the objectionable scenes were edited and removed from the series, as they respected the beliefs, religion, and values of all Indians. Yet, people could access the deleted scenes on social media (Movieflicks 2021). Many people who did not know about the web series logged on to YouTube and Instagram to see the deleted scenes and posted their comments. People compared the tolerance of respective religious groups in response to controversial media content. Virtual groups and communities on social media got created, in which people bitterly fought for their respective faiths. Tandav (Zafar 2021) was just another of the dozens of controversial media content that fueled the country’s debate on communal politics and witnessed protests and public disharmony. The web series is the latest, and perhaps one of the first OTT web streamed series to be caught in a controversy over inappropriate religious content and showing a Hindu God swearing on screen. Indian cinema has come a long way since