Anushka Sharma's 'Paatal Lok' in legal trouble over casteist slur in the show

Anushka Sharma's first Amazon Prime original, Paatal Lok, is in legal trouble due to a slur used in the show. As Anushka Sharma was a co-producer for the show, she was recently served a notice by the Lawyers Guild. According to the notice, a slur used in Paatal Lok is offensive to the Nepali speaking Gorkha community.

Anushka Sharma served a legal notice due to a seemingly offensive slur in 'Paatal Lok'

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A member of the Lawyers Guild, Viren Sri Gurung, served a notice to Paatal Lok co-producer Anushka Sharma on Monday, May 18, 2020. As of now the actor/producer has not yet responded to the notice. The Lawyers Guild will further get in contact with Amazon Prime and other production houses associated with the show. 

According to the Lawyers Guild's notice, a dialogue in Paatal Lok was extremely offensive to the Nepali speaking Gorkha community. The notice also claims that the usage of this slur is highly problematic right now, as the Nepali community is already facing racism due to the stereotypes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The scene in question features a policewoman who uses the slur while talking to a Nepali character. 

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Nepali Communities in India petition the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry to remove the slur in Paatal Lok

In a petition addressed to the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the Nepali Community asked the word to be muted and the subtitles to be blurred. They also demanded an apology for the use of the offensive slur. Moreover, the petition also asked for an edited episode, without the slur, to replace the original one. 

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Further, the petition also mentioned that this fight was not personally against Anushka Sharma, but against the stereotypes that were offensive and hurtful to Nepali speaking communities. According to the Gorkha community, this slur "puts down the entire clan". Speaking to a news portal, Nanda Kirati Dewan, president of the Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh, mentioned that the usage of the word was "regressive". She also added that people should stop consuming content that showed a community in a negative light just for the sake of creative freedom. 

[Promo from Paatal Lok trailer and Anushka Sharma Instagram]

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