Filmmaker RGV in trouble over controversial tweets

hyderabad — Maverick film maker Ram Gopal Varma, who gets into controversies at the drop of a hat, is in the dock again, this time over his tweets on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Varma, a self-proclaimed atheist, took to the micro-blogging site to question the basis for celebrating the festival and raise questions over the divinity attached to deity Ganesha. His tweets set off a storm in the social media with people from all walks of life voicing outrage over his offensive comments.

While a lawyer lodged a complaint with the Saroornagar police station against RGV, as the film maker is known, for insulting religious beliefs and hurting Hindu sentiments, the Hyderabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi, which organises the festival in the capital, has taken up the issue with the cyber crime wing.

Varma, known for his stylized movies depicting the urban underbelly, mafia killings and political violence, started off with a provocative tweet, “The guy who could not save his own head from being cut, how he will save others heads is my question? But, Happy Ganpathi day to morons!”

This evoked strong reaction from netizens who said his tweet amounted to hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. However, Varma remained unfazed and followed it up with a flurry of equally provocative tweets throughout the day.

RGV’s earlier tweets included: “Did Ganesha have a paunch in his childhood too or did it develop in the recovery time of the elephant head operation?” “Can someone tell me if today is the day Ganesha was originally born or is it the day his dad cut his head off?” “Does Ganesha eat with his hands or his trunk?” “I would really love to know from Ganesha’s devotees a list of what obstacles he removed in all the years they prayed to him” “Can someone explain how someone can cut off a child’s head who was just trying to protect his mother’s modesty?”

Facing a flood of protests, he finally apologised for his comments. “All tweets I put on Ganesha were in my usual manner but unintended by me to hurt anyone’s sentiments... but if they did, I sincerely apologise,” he said.