LUCKNOW: A proposed New Year programme featuring actress Sunny Leone in Mathura was cancelled following strong opposition from saints and religious leaders, who said such an event was against the religious traditions of the Braj region and would hurt the faith of devotees.
The saint community expressed serious displeasure, maintaining that programmes promoting vulgarity and obscenity were unacceptable on the sacred land of Mathura, which holds deep spiritual significance for millions of devotees.
As per local sources, Sunny Leone was scheduled to perform at a city hotel in Mathura on January 1 from 9 pm onwards. Preparations for her arrival had been completed, and arrangements were made for around 300 attendees. Entry tickets for the event were also fixed, with prices ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
As soon as information about the programme surfaced, saints and religious leaders voiced strong objections. Dinesh Falahari, the main petitioner in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi case, also opposed the event.
Members of the saint community staged a protest and raised slogans against the organisers on Monday. They submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate, demanding the immediate cancellation of the programme.
They claimed that such events were a dent to the dignity, culture and spiritual identity of Mathura. “These programmes divert youth away from devotion. In Sanatan Dharma, the New Year should begin with religious rituals. Millions visit Mathura-Vrindavan for spiritual reasons, and such events tarnish the city’s image,” he said.
After the event was cancelled, the hotel owner said Sunny Leone regularly performs DJ shows across the country and that all legal norms were being followed. “However, when the saints did not agree, we had no option but to withdraw the event,” he said.
This is not the first time Sunny Leone has faced opposition in Mathura. Earlier, saints had protested against her song Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache, demanding a ban on the video album.
Released on December 22, 2021, the song sparked controversy for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a community. Vrindavan saint Nawal Giri Maharaj had sought government action, claiming it was an insult to Hindu beliefs.
The song was sung by Kanika Kapoor and Arindam Chakraborty, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya, and recreated from Mohammed Rafi’s classic song from the 1960 film Kohinoor.