In July 2022, an FIR was registered against documentary film-maker Leena Manimekalai, accused of hurting religious sentiments with the ‘highly objectionable’ poster of her film that depicted a woman dressed as Goddess Kaali and smoking a cigarette. A Delhi-based lawyer Vineet Jindal had registered a complaint against Leena over the controversial poster that was shared by her on 2 July 2022.
At the time, communal tensions were already simmering in India owing to the Udaipur killing. The poster released by the film-maker sent netizens into a posting spree, many of whom considered the poster an insult to Hinduism. There were others who demanded legal action against the film-maker too. The controversy soon took a political turn when politicians called for strict action against Leena.
Amid building pressure, the Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR against the film-maker for ‘criminal conspiracy, offence in a place of worship, deliberately hurting religious sentiments, and intention to provoke breach of peace.’ Additionally, a complaint was filed with the Delhi Police too for ‘hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community.’
M.F. Hussain and Leena Manimekalai who haveControversies like these are commonplace today and are often seen gaining momentum just before the release of the film in question. But, besides films, other creatives and artworks especially paintings have created controversies time and again. There have been several instances where an artist’s ‘creative liberty’ has landed him or her in trouble.
Art, controversy and attacks
Since time immemorial, art has upset a group of people or hurt religious sentiments of another. Being a visual medium, the impact of a painting or artwork is immense and so is the magnitude of hurt or hatred. Controversial artwork across the world has caused unrest, violence, rioting even acts of terror.
On 7 January 2015, two French Muslim terrorists and brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, stormed into the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris and killed 12 people injuring many others. Several other attacks followed in the region soon after, killing more people. In 2011, the magazine’s offices were firebombed following the publication of a caricature of Muhammed on the magazine cover.
Charlie Hebdo is a publication that has always been in the eye of the storm owing to its satirical attacks on political and religious leaders. In 2012, the magazine published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed that forced France to temporarily close embassies and schools in more than 20 countries fearing attacks.
The Charlie Hebdo killings were an eye-opener, a reminder that in today’s hypersensitive and volatile world, ‘insensitive’ and callously-created artwork can lead to very serious consequences.
Controversial art in India
India epitomises unity in diversity. The cultural, religious and ethnic vibrancy is what lends India its unique character. The diversity is also the reason why, sometimes, controversies are stirred in the name of a community or religious group.
One of the highest paid artists of India who has made a name for himself the world over, M F Husain was known to create art that triggered unrest and controversy in the country. And, he did so on more than one occasion.
Maqbool Fida Hussain, a self-taught artist, was born on 17 September 1915 in Pandharpur in Maharashtra and initially supported himself by painting cinema hoardings in Mumbai. He often landed in a soup for his paintings on Hindu deities.
His controversial paintings on goddesses Durga and Saraswati who were depicted inappropriately, invited the wrath of Hindu groups. As a result of this, in 1998 the painter’s house was attacked and his art work was vandalized.
In one of his paintings, he depicted a naked Goddess Saraswati. He made a painting on Bharat Mata where he depicted a nude Mother India hurting the sentiments of many Indians. In 2006, M F Hussain was charged with hurting the sentiments of people because of his nude portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses.
Walking a thin line
A few years ago, national general secretary of a social organisation Shivsena Hindustan Rajinder Singh Raja had filed a complaint against a publication in which he stated that in the April 2013 edition of a magazine, cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni was portrayed as Lord Vishnu bearing the title ‘God of Big Deals’ even as he held several commercial products including a shoe in his hand.
The complainant said Dhoni’s photograph has hurt his religious sentiments and of Hindus as the published image is an insult to Lord Vishnu and concurrently to Hindu religion.
In another incident, at a fest organised at Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay (IIT-B) in 2016, an art mural was presented that projected Lord Hanuman in a modern avatar, wearing modern-day clothes and gadgets. The artwork was protested by members of the Shiv Sena who said it was a mockery of the Hindu deity and it was eventually covered with a sheet.
In 2017, celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib was at the receiving end of public ire for offending people with his ad showing Goddess Durga having a spa day.
The ad was put out in his company’s name for the then-upcoming Durga Puja festival. The print ad depicted Goddess Durga, along with children Kartik, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganesh, having a relaxed day at Habib’s beauty parlour. The tagline of the advertisement read ‘Gods too visit JH salon.’
The depicting offended a few people who said that the sight of the goddesses and gods putting on make-up and counting money hurt their religious sentiments. The hairstylist had later apologised for the advertisement.
Sensitisation needed
Most recently, in May 2022, a controversy erupted when a student of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Vadodara’s MSU (The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda) for creating a controversial artwork.
As a result, there were protests by a group on the campus. The MSU Syndicate Wednesday unanimously decided to rusticate the student. Vice-chancellor of the university said that the Syndicate has also decided to issue show-cause notices to faculty members, among others, involved with the incident.
The first-year post graduate student belonged to the Sculpture Department and the action was taken after a nine-member fact-finding committee tabled its report before the Syndicate. The Syndicate also decided to form two committees to ensure that faculty members adhere to a “code of conduct”.
The student had created an artwork where he created photos of Hindu gods and goddesses and for that he used newspapers cuttings of crimes against women across India such as rape, etc. The incident led to an FIR against the student for hurting religious sentiments. He has been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
Art is an expression of one’s creativity but one’s right to freedom of expression must not infringe upon another person’s right. Article 19(a) of the Constitution of India guarantees fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression to all citizens but these rights come with reasonable restrictions.