A Netflix show, A Suitable Boy, an adaptation of the award-winning novel by Indian writer Vikram Seth has received backlash in India after the portrayal of a scene where the protagonist, a young Hindu girl kissed a boy of Muslim faith in a Hindu Temple.
Netflix which has invested more that $ 500 million in the Indian’s movie industry to get a sustainable foothold has upset some people in the world’s second-largest internet market. A police case was filed this week against the company’s two top executives in India after a leader of the governing party objected to that scene and others.
Narottam Mishra, the interior minister of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, said a First Information Report (an official police complaint) had been filed against Monika Shergill, Vice President of Content at Netflix and Ambika Khurana, Director of Public Policies for the firm, over objectionable scenes in the show that hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.
Gaurav Tiwari, a youth leader of one of the most popular Indian youth movement, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who filed the complaint, has also demanded an apology from Netflix and makers of the series (directed by award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair), asserting the film promoted “love jihad,” a conspiracy theory that alleges that Muslim men entice Hindi women into converting their religion under the pretext of marriage.
So far, Netflix has refused to comment and the series is still running on Netflix with six episodes yet. Recently, the Indian government announced new rules for digital media where online streaming services like Netflix will be regulated.