Bobby Deol and filmmaker Prakash Jha have made headlines once again for their popular web series, Aashram. Jodhpur court has issued a notice to Bobby Deol and Prakash Jha after a plea was filed against the series for portraying Hindu saints and gurus in a negative light. On the other hand, netizens have started a social media campaign demanding that the MX Player series be banned.
Advocate Khush Khandelwal claimed that the series which shows Bobby Deal as a Godman hurts religious sentiments by portraying Hindu gurus as drug traffickers and rapists. “The portrayal of Deol as a Hindu saint has hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, who respect and worship saints. His portrayal as a rapist, corrupt and drug dealer has diminished the place saints hold for Hindus,” read the petition. Earlier the Karni Sena had also sent a legal notice to the makers of Aashram.
Twitter Weighs In
Netizens have now gotten into a Twitter battle over the series as several demand its ban while others believe that it actually shows us the mirror. Some Twitter users even went on to call Prakash Jha an accomplice to leftists and have demanded legal action against the filmmaker. Terms like ‘anti-Hindu’ and ‘conspiracy against Hinduism’ also came to light.
As the battle continues, #BanAashramWebSeries seems to have gained momentum. Check out some reactions:
Directed and produced by Prakash Jha, the first season of Aashram was released on MX Player in August 2020. The second season titled ‘Aashram Chapter 2: The Dark Side’ was released in October and free streaming was made available from November onwards on the OTT platform.
Earlier, Netflix original series Bad Boy Billionaires also ran into legal trouble. Based on the lives of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy and Ramalinga Raju, the show revealed how the four men built their empires and were later accused of corruption. Three separate petitions were filed against the series by Subrata Roy, Mehul Choksi and Ramalinga Raju. The Supreme Court later permitted Netflix to release the series and dismissed the pleas.
Whether Aashram will continue to be available for viewing or not is a question that remains to be answered. While some scenes were truly disturbing, the show does bring to light a few realities too. Let’s hope the correct decision comes to light soon.
Feature Image: Instagram
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