Kaali poster row: After India’s objection, Canada museum expresses ‘deep regret’

Ottawa: Amid ongoing controversy over the poster of filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s short film ‘Kali’, the Toronto-based Aga Khan Museum has expressed deep regret for “unknowingly hurting sentiments” of Hindu and other religions.

In a statement, the museum said that Toronto Metropolitan University brought together the work of students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as part of Canadian Multiculturalism under the ‘Under the Tent’ project.

 

The statement said, “Project Presentation of Toronto Metropolitan University was held at Aga Khan Museum. It was organized as part of the museum’s mission to promote intercultural understanding and communication through art. An integral part of is respect for the beliefs of diverse religious expressions and communities. ”

 

The museum expressed regret

According to the statement, “The museum deeply regrets that one of the 18 short videos of ‘Under the Tent’ and the associated social media posts have inadvertently insulted members of the Hindu and other religious communities.”

 

Earlier, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa had appealed to the Canadian authorities to remove all objectionable material related to the short film ‘Kali’. The High Commission has taken this step after receiving complaints from the leaders of the Hindu community in Canada about the ‘insulting portrayal’ of the Hindu Goddess in the poster of the short film screened there.

 

The poster was tweeted by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai

Toronto-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalai shared a poster of her short film ‘Kaali’ on Twitter on Saturday, showing the Hindu Goddess smoking and holding the LGBTQ community flag in her hand. After this poster came out, Manimekalai was accused of hurting religious sentiments.

The hashtag ‘Arrest Leena Manimekalai’ (Arrest Leena Manimekalai) started trending against her on social media.