HYDERABAD: A Telugu film director has been arrested by the Telangana police for allegedly making a movie -- soon-to-be-released – in which there are scenes of whiskey being poured over a Shiva Lingam in a temple even as a cigarette burns like an agarbatti.
The name of the film is Devuda (meaning oh, god) and it stars newcomers. Director Dasari Sairam (25) is a native of Tenali in Andhra Pradesh and the producer Gajjela Hari Kumar Reddy is a native of Kadapa district in AP. The latter is at large while Dasari Sriram was picked up from Film Nagar in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.
Based on a complaint filed by the Bajrang Dal, the police have lined up a “hurting the religious sentiments of one religion" rap against Dasari Sairam and his producer. The accused have been charged under Sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class), 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) of the Indian Penal Code.
The director has earlier credits titled Lottery and Mitravinda, both movies made with new artistes. In custody, Dasari Sairam is said to have told the police that he was inspired by some temples in Karnataka and Ujjain -- which he saw on TV -- where devotees offer whiskey and cigarettes to Lord Shiva.
The teaser of the movie Devuda was released on YouTube on January 1, 2017 and has 13,747 views as of Thursday noon. On accessing it, however, the flashed message stated: "This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government."
Based on a complaint from one U Naveen a local Bajrang Dal worker in Neredmet in Hyderabad, a case was registered against the makers of the film at the Neredmet police station. The police said they intend to pursue the matter with YouTube.
The clipping of the movie has been removed from the internet.