A suitable boy: Netflix India faces boycott calls in kissing scene

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The exchange takes place in the series, “A Suitable Boy,” an adaptation of the award-winning novel by Indian author Vikram Seth, which was released on the streaming service last month.

The story follows the love life of a young Hindu woman and at one point depicts her being kissed by a Muslim in a Hindu temple.

It has proved controversial for some viewers in India, including Hindu nationalist politicians. On Sunday, “#BoycottNetflix” was all the rage on Twitter there, according to local media. On the same day, Narottam Mishra, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Government of the State of Madhya Pradesh, said on Twitter that he had “asked the police to review this controversial content.”

“It has extremely reprehensible content that hurts the feelings of people of a particular religion,” said Mishra, who is a member of the Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

<< I asked the authorities to examine why and with what intentions this program and this theme were relaunched on [streaming] platforms, " he said, adding that he was looking to determine what legal steps could be taken.

Saturday, a young leader of the BJP – Gaurav Tiwari – told reporters he had filed a separate complaint against Netflix’s vice president of content in India and its director of public policy in connection with the show. The complaint accuses Netflix of having committed “deliberate or malicious acts intended to scandalize religious feelings.” Under Indian law, such an offense could be punished with a prison term of up to three years, a fine, or both.

Netflix declined to comment.

Adapt to India

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was re-elected in a landslide victory for his BJP party last year, many Indian Muslims say the focus on empowering India’s Hindu majority has left them feel like second-class citizens in their own country.

The news Also comes at a sensitive time for streaming services in India. Earlier this month, the government announced new rules for digital media, saying online streaming platforms would begin to be regulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

This could force companies like Netflix to start following the same restrictions as traditional media.

India is a big part of Netflix’s push to Asia. It has invested $ 400 million in the market over the past two years, making the country one of its main regional production centers. Earlier this year, it also added a Hindi option on its platform to reach more Indian users.

“A Suitable Boy,” a BBC production that was later acquired by Netflix, is just one of a series of India-focused titles the company is releasing there. The show focuses on how “modernity meets tradition,” according to a summary on the Netflix website.

It could also be a description of the current cultural debate in India. Recently, many politicians have launched the theme of “love jihad”, an Islamophobic theory that claims that Muslim men induce Hindu women to convert under the pretext of marriage.

Mishra told reporters this month that a law would be introduced in his state to punish anyone found guilty of committing what was considered “the jihad of love.”

Other companies have been dismissed by similar controversies. Last month, an Indian jewelry brand posted an ad showing a Muslim family with their Hindu stepdaughter after criticism from some in the Hindu community.

– Helen Regan, Priyali Sur and Vedika Sud contributed to this report.

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