AMAZON'S ''TANDAV'' APOLOGY : INDIA

 

NEW DELHI : Amazon issues a rare apology for 'Tandav'. The Political show had hurt some Hindu sentiments.

Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday issued a rare apology to its Indian viewers for some scenes in its original political drama series Tandav, which allegedly offended Hindu religious beliefs.

TANDAV, a Hindi word meaning ''fury,'' stars top Hollywood actors. In several states, it has faced complaints and cases alleging the show had depicted Hindu gods and goddesses in a derogatory manner, and offended religious beliefs. Lawmakers from BJP have also criticized it.

In a statement titled ''Amazon prime Video Apologies,'' the company said it deeply regrets viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable. Amazon apologises ''unconditionally to anyone who felt hurt,'' it said adding that it will continue to develop content while respecting the diversity of audiences' culture and beliefs.

The Tandav controversy escalated last week when police in Uttar Pradesh questioned one of Amazon's top executives for hours in one case filed against the show.

Asked about the company apology, a senior state police official said authorities would continue investigating the matter.

Shows on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have often faced complaints in India for obscenity or offending beliefs, but the latest controversy involving Tandav is among the highest profile cases.

An Indian media and entertainment industry executive said Amazon's apology was unprecedented and showed that big US conglomerates can capitulate to political or cultural demands.

In January 2020, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos attended a Prime Video event in Mumbai with Bollywood stars and announced it would double down on its investments. He said Prime Video was doing well globally ''but nowhere is it doing better than India''.

India is a critical growth market for Amazon, where it has committed investments of $16.5 billion with interests in e-commerce, video streaming, cloud computing and other areas. [Reuters]