Director Leena Manimekalai continues tirade: 'My Kaali is queer; dismantles Hindutva'

Kaali filmmaker Leena Manimekalai continued with her tirade against Indians outraged over the poster of her film on Friday. Taking to the microblogging site Twitter, the Toronto-based filmmaker once again dragged in the Hindu Goddess and said that for her, she was 'queer, a free spirit'. Manimekalai used big ideological terms and said that her Goddess 'spits at patriarchy' and 'dismantles Hindutva'.

"She destroys capitalism, She embraces everyone with all her thousand hands,” she further wrote. This was her second controversial tweet in a mere span of two hours. In the earlier tweet, referring to the people, who have been questioning her for her portrayal of the Hindu Goddess, as trolls, she had said, "When they think that they wield all the power with their brains filled with hate, they are not capable to imagine the power we creators can have with all the compassion." 

'Kaali' poster controversy 

On July, 2, a controversy erupted after the Toronto-based filmmaker unveiled the poster of her film Kaali on Twitter. In the poster, the Hindu Goddess can be seen smoking a cigarette and holding a pride flag, infuriating devotees. The Hindu community in Canada registered complaints about the controversial depiction of the Goddess, after which the Indian High Commission in Ottawa conveyed its concerns to the Aga Khan Museum which showcased the film as a part of the 'Under the Tent' project. It urged the organisers to withdraw the provocative material. 

Expressing deep regret in a statement, the Aga Khan Museum affirmed, "Toronto Metropolitan University brought together works from students of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, each student exploring their individual sense of belonging as part of Canadian multiculturalism for the project ‘Under the Tent.’ Toronto Metropolitan University’s project presentation was hosted at the Aga Khan Museum in the context of the Museum’s mission to foster intercultural understanding and dialogue through the arts. Respect for diverse religious expressions and faith communities forms an integral part of that mission."

Meanwhile, multiple FIRs have been registered against Manimekalai throughout India for insulting religious sentiments, with the recent one being, on the complaint of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi. A Look Out Circular has also been issued against the filmmaker by the Bhopal Police as per the demand of Narottam Mishra, BJP leader, who holds the Home Ministry in Madhya Pradesh.