Amazon Prime agrees to remove scenes from Indian show after complaints it ‘deliberately’ mocked Hindu gods

Creators of an Amazon Prime show that premiered last week have agreed to remove some scenes that were criticized as being an “insult to Hindu gods.”

The move comes just days after the premiere of the nine-episode drama “Tandav” — and after its director, prominent Bollywood director Ali Abbas Zafar, published a lengthy public apology on Instagram.

According to The Guardian, the surprising move marked the first time that streaming platforms were subjected to censorship by the Indian government.

The show, a political drama in the mold of Netflix’s “House of Cards,” received fierce backlash after its Friday premiere.

According to the BBC, one of the scenes that was slammed by critics involves a university play in which Hindu god Shiva talks about “azadi” (freedom) — a controversial term in India.

The show also features scenes showing the fictional prime minister acting in an “indecent manner” — which wasn’t well received by the public.

Some Hindu politicians have called for the show to be canceled.

Manoj Kotak, a member of the lower house of the Parliament of India from Mumbai North East, wrote a letter to India’s minister of information and broadcasting urging the ministry to “immediately constitute a regulatory authority” on streaming platforms and “ban [the] controversial web series Tandav.”

Makers of the show were “deliberately mocking Hindu gods” and disrespecting “Hindu religious sentiments,” he claimed in the letter, which she shared on his Twitter account on Sunday.

Other complaints were filed by a rightwing Hindu nationalist group and politicians with the ruling Bharatiya Janata party.

An adviser to the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, accused the show’s creators of “spreading hate in the guise of [a] cheap web series” and told them to “be prepared for arrest,” The Guardian reported.

In a statement posted on Instagram on Monday, Zafar tried to ease tensions, as he acknowledged “a large number of grievances and petitions received … with serious concerns and apprehensions regarding [the show’s] content hurting the sentiments or the people.”

“‘Tandav’ is a work of fiction and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental,” he explained, adding that the show had no intentions of hurting anyone’s feelings.

“The cast and crew of Tandav ... unconditionally apologize if it has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments,” he added.

Supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) take part in a protest against a new web series 'Tandav', in Mumbai on January 18, 2021. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/)

On Tuesday, the director was summoned by government officials and agreed to “edit” out the offending scenes.

“The cast and crew of Tandav have made the decision to implement changes to the web series to address the concerns raised,” Zafar said in a statement.

“We thank the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the guidance and support in the matter. We once again apologize if the series has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments,” he added.