The hashtag #BanNetflix has been trending on Twitter and it has a connection with the anthology series Navarasa released on Friday (6 August). The nine-episode anthology produced by Mani Ratnam and Jayendra Panchapakesan has received praises from the audience.
However, some netizens expressed their displeasure over an advertisement for Navarasa in a Tamil newspaper.
Raza Academy, which describes itself as “a Sunni Barelvi organization of Indian Sunni Muslims”, tweeted that Netflix published a verse from the Quran in an advertisement published in Daily Thanthi. The ad is about one of the shorts, titled Inmai.
“Netflix has published a verse of the Quran in the advertisement of its film NavaRasa in Daily Thanthi newspaper. This is an insult to the Quran. We demand strict action against @NetflixIndia,” the organisation tweeted.
Several users called the act an ‘insult to the Quran’ and asked for action against the streaming service using the hashtag #BanNetflix.
The short film Inmai stars Siddharth, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Pavel Navgeethan, and Rajesh Balachandran, and has been directed by Rathindran R. Prasad. The music has been composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Navarasa tells nine stories based on nine human emotions or rasas.
#BanNetflix had also trended earlier in November after the release of Richie Mehta’s Netflix series Delhi Crime, where people accused Netflix India of portraying ‘inappropriate content’. There were also calls to ban Netflix after the release of A Suitable Boy, which featured a kiss between Hindi and Muslim characters.
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