Netflix To Issue Apology For  Insulting Lord Hanuman?

There is widespread outrage on the  social media against  a new feature film Chippa written and directed  by Safdar Rahman.

The  film delineates a 10-year old boy’s search across Kolkata for his biological father  . In the course  of  his journey the  boy,played by the talented  Sunny Pawar comes across a Muslim seniors-citizen who  tells  the boy a story wherein the name  of   Hanuman  comes up prominently as a substitute  for ‘Monkey’

Rightly outraged. Twitter  users are now asking for ban not only on the  film  but also on Netflix  in India.

One  prominent  Twitter user says, “Hindus have been requesting @netflix to stop insulting Hindus and their deities; but it seems they do it intentionally. Clip from their latest movie ‘Chippa’ where they are mocking Hanuman and are not even pretending to be subtle. Movie is written and directed by Safdar Rahman.”

Director  Safdar Rahman when contacted  proclaimed helplessness  over the  issue. Though he is ready to  apologize  for  the  unintentional  hurt that he has  caused , there  is a gag order  over  his statements.

 One  hears Netflix is  going to  apologize  for  the  slur and  remove the offensive  episode  from the  film.While this  may case of  applying a  bandaid over  a gaping wound  , I  recommend a  stronger more  reliable self-censorship for  Netflix and  other OTT content-providers. Just because  you have  the  freedom to say anything doesn’t mean you  say anything.