India and controversies go hand in hand. The year 2021 can be branded as the year of outrage against 'intolerance' and the creative freedom it involved in making . Although the word 'boycott' seems like the only word in any Indian's vocabulary. Thanks to right-wing and Hindutva trolls who accused brands, production houses, actors, of hurting their “religious sentiments'' through their “outrageous” work. Some sentiments were so delicate that they were hurt by common Urdu words like Jashn.
Here are some controversies that ruled India in 2021:
Tandav:
A web series released on Amazon Prime Video in early January of 2021, Tandav, starring Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Gauahar Khan, Kritika Kamra, Anup Soni, Kumud Mishra, Dino Morea, and Sandhya Mridul among others hit the world of controversies and trolling as soon as it landed.
Tandav had been accused of hurting the religious sentiments of a section of the audience, especially with it’s controversial scene featuring Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, who, dressed as Lord Shiva, was seen mouthing lines about ‘azaadi’.
Myntra logo:
Myntra has always been a choice for many fashion lovers for their purchasing of clothes and accessories, however, Myntra fell into the trap of controversies this year too with their controversial logo changes.
The logo changes made the logo look more like a naked woman than a loo, to which the consumers retaliated. According to Ramesh Narayan, Founder of Canco Advertising, the brand had no such intentions or thoughts before they had presented to the world with a new logo.
Kangana Ranaut’s Twitter account suspension:
There is no doubt that Kangana is the ‘controversy queen’ of Bollywood. Kangana says that she never shies away from speaking her mind, and due to this, she often gets embroiled in several controversies. Out of all, the biggest controversy was of post-poll violence in West Bengal that led to her Twitter account suspension permanently. She violated the rules of Twitter despite being warned several times. She is unfazed, accusing Twitter of race bias. The tweet that spurred this is where the actor seems to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “tame” Mamata Banerjee using his “Virat Roop” from the “early 2000s in Bengal.
Vir Das' 'Two Indias' :
In his "Two Indias" video he spoke about some of the key issues in India, like countries handling COVID-19, rape cases and the farmers' protests. He showed contradictions in the Indian society's reactions to these key issues. However many Indians did not like the content and accused him of "insulting India". He not only faced huge outrage on social media but also was snapped various charges through police complaints. Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said that they will not allow him to perform in the state.
Alia Bhatt Questioning Kanyadaan in Bridal Ad:
In September, an advertisement of a bridal wear brand was released, featuring Alia Bhatt. In the ad clip, the actress objected to the practice of kanyadaan at weddings. “Am I a thing to be donated? Why only kanyadaan,” she asks in her internal monologue. While many praised the ad and called it modern, others attacked it.
The Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma ODI captaincy Saga:
Probably, one of the most talked about controversies till now, between the two marquee players of Indian cricket. From Kohli resigning from T20I’s captaincy to being replaced as captain in the ODI format, this controversy has still not come to rest. Both of these players are integral to the Indian team setup and the onus lies on BCCI, as they have been heavily criticized for handling the situation badly.
Sabyasachi's "Mangalsutra Collection'' ad:
Sabyasachi's "Mangalsutra Collection'' ad featuring intimate photos of a woman and a man was dubbed "against Hindu culture”. Mukherjee pulled down the ad after a MP minister threatened to send the police after him.
These controversies have an amplified impact in the pandemic as more and more people are now connected with the internet for longer hours. Besides, political outfits add fuel into the fire for their own vested interests.
