Agra: A Hindu outfit in Agra has announced a Rs 10 lakh “reward” to anyone who slaps or spits on Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar for hurting sentiments with his portrayal of Lord Shiva’s messenger in the latest release Oh My God 2 (OMG 2).
Accusing Kumar of hurting Hindu sentiments, the Rashtriya Hindu Parishad Bharat burnt the actor’s effigies and the film’s posters Thursday, and said it would not back down from demonstrating before theatres.
Organisation president Govind Parashar also announced the reward, asserting certain scenes belittled Lord Shiva.
Akshay Kumar as Bholenath’s doot or messenger – who stands in for the Lord himself with dreadlocks to boot – buys kachodis, and apparently takes a bath in dirty pond water in the film. Parashar says these tarnish the image of the god.
He demanded that the censor board and the central government ban the film, and warned of sustained protests otherwise.
Angst against the film is also gaining ground in other cities.
Vrindavan’s Sadhvi Rithambara, the founder of the Durga Vahini, has slammed the satirical comedy that was released on 11 August.
In a speech at her ashram Vatsalya Gram, Sadhvi Rithambhara said, “It is the leniency of Hinduism that prompts Bollywood to commit such audacity again and again. They are afraid of commenting on any other religion except Hinduism.”
She said Hindu gods and goddesses have been insulted on the silver screen before, adding, “The faith of Hindus should not be played with.”
She urged Hindus to strongly protest against Bollywood as “people should not play with our devotion to Lord Shiva and his supernatural form”.
The priests of Ujjain’s Mahakal Temple have also demanded the removal of some scenes shot in the temple’s premises, calling them “obscene”.
The narrative of the movie is woven around Kanti Sharan Mudgal (Pankaj Tripathi), an ardent Shiva devotee living in Ujjain. When his faith is tested, the Lord’s messenger arrives in all kinds of zany disguises to help Kanti out.
The film is a sequel to 2012’s release OMG, fronted by Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar, who had then played the role of Lord Krishna.
The Censor Board has given OMG 2 an “A” certificate but not before removing nearly 13 minutes of it.
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