Streaming platform Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday “unconditionally” apologised for its web series Tandav, and said that they had removed or edited scenes against which objections were raised. The show’s makers have already apologised at least twice so far.

The web series purportedly provides a commentary on India’s political scene under the Narendra Modi government. The show touches upon farmer agitations to student protests to police killings – all events that have happened under the administration of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“Amazon Prime Video again deeply regrets that viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable in the recently launched fictional series Tandav,” a statement read. “This was never our intention, and the scenes that were objected to were removed or edited when they were brought to our attention.”

The streaming platform said that it respected the diverse beliefs and offered unconditional apologies to everyone who was hurt by the scenes. “Our teams follow company content evaluation processes, which we acknowledge need to be constantly updated to better serve our audiences,” the statement read. “We will continue to develop entertaining content with partners, while complying with the laws of India and respecting the diversity of culture and beliefs of our audiences.”

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are among the states where first information reports have been filed against the show. At least three complaints were also pending in Delhi, Chandigarh and Maharashtra.

The apology came a day before the Supreme Court will hear the streaming platform’s head, Aparna Purohit’s, petition against the Allahabad High Court’s order denying pre-arrest bail, according to Live Law. The court had rejected her bail plea on February 25, saying that the use of the word “Tandav” could offend majority of the people in the country as it was associated to Hindu deity Shiva.

The controversy around Tandav came two months after a row over Netflix series A Suitable Boy. The Madhya Pradesh Police had filed a case in November against two people, including the vice president of the streaming platform, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments after BJP members and Hindutva activists objected to a kissing scene between the show’s protagonists in a temple.


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‘Tandav’ row: Allahabad HC denies bail to Amazon official, says show’s name can hurt sentiments