The long-awaited Prime Minister Modi response to ongoing controversy surrounding the Kaali documentary poster
*Paromita Das
In the midst of the ongoing debate over the poster for the documentary Kaali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an important statement while speaking at a celebration for Swami Atmasthananda’s 100th birthday. According to Narendra Modi, Goddess Kali bestows blessings upon India, and she is the object of all Indian devotion.
“Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a saint who is said to have actually met the Goddess Kali and he had dedicated his entire life at the lotus feet of the Goddess Kali,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He once claimed that Maa Kali’s consciousness permeates everything in the universe, both static and dynamic. During Kali Puja, we witness this consciousness in Bengal. The same is evident in the religious beliefs of Bengali and Indians as a whole. And when a faith is that holy and pure, Shakti illuminates the path to be taken. India is blessed to receive unending favors from the goddess Kali. India is making progress toward the welfare of the entire world with this ascetic energy.
मां काली का असीमित, असीम आशीर्वाद हमेशा भारत के साथ है। भारत इसी आध्यात्मिक ऊर्जा को लेकर आज विश्व कल्याण की भावना से आगे बढ़ रहा है: PM मोदी pic.twitter.com/jOXRdaLXGi
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) July 10, 2022
Notably, there has recently been controversy sparked by the “Kaali” movie poster. Hindu goddess Kali is depicted in the poster smoking a cigarette and holding the rainbow flag for the LGBTQ+ community.
Leena Manimekalai, the director, was accused of hurting religious sentiments in numerous cases. Mahua Moitra, an MP for the Trinamool Congress Party, insulted the goddess Kali while responding to a question about the controversy surrounding the movie’s poster, which caused the controversy to escalate even further.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks reverently about Maa Kaali being the center of devotion, not just for Bengal but for all of India, according to a tweet from the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT cell, Amit Malviya. In contrast, a TMC MP defends Mamata Banerjee’s offensive portrayal of Maa Kaali rather than speaking out against it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks reverentially about Maa Kaali being the center of devotion, not just for Bengal but whole of India. On the other hand, a TMC MP insults Maa Kaali and Mamata Banerjee instead of acting against her, defends her obnoxious portrayal of Maa Kaali… pic.twitter.com/6O4vYGkasi
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 10, 2022
Leena Manimekalai, the director, shared the Kali movie poster a few days ago. The poster caused a stir because it blatantly offended Hindus’ religious sensibilities. As the director posted a new image on social media showing Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati smoking, the controversy intensified. But this image had nothing to do with her movie. She is the target of numerous lawsuits in various states. A request to block her Twitter account was also made. The crime branch of the Bhopal police has issued a lookout notice for her.
