Kaali poster row: Twitter removes Leena Manimekalai's tweet on govt request

New Delhi, July 06: Amid the ongoing controversy over the poster of the documentary film 'Kaali', social media giant Twitter withheld a tweet by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai acting on a request by the government under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The tweet was withheld on July 5, and was reported to the Lumen Database on July 6. Lumen Database receives and publishes disclosures by private entities, including social media companies, on legal take-down notices they get from governments and other entities across the world.

Toronto-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalai shared the poster of her documentary 'Kaali' on Twitter on Saturday which shows the goddess smoking and holding an LGBTQ flag in her hand.

Manimekalai, who made her feature directorial debut with 2021's "Maadathy - An Unfairy Tale", isn't the first filmmaker to find herself in trouble over religious references.

In 2017, for instance, filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan courted controversy over the title of his Malayalam film "Sexy Durga", which explored religious divides in Kerala society. The film was later rechristened "S Durga".

Last year, Prime Video's political saga 'Tandav' was at the centre of trouble for a scene depicting Lord Shiva in a college theatre programme. The scene was eventually dropped and the streamer issued an unconditional apology.