Bobby Deol and filmmaker Prakash Jha have made headlines once again for their popular web series, Aashram. Jodhpur court has issued a notice to Bobby Deol and Prakash Jha after a plea was filed against the series for portraying Hindu saints and gurus in a negative light. On the other hand, netizens have started a social media campaign demanding that the MX Player series be banned.
Advocate Khush Khandelwal claimed that the series which shows Bobby Deal as a Godman hurts religious sentiments by portraying Hindu gurus as drug traffickers and rapists. “The portrayal of Deol as a Hindu saint has hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, who respect and worship saints. His portrayal as a rapist, corrupt and drug dealer has diminished the place saints hold for Hindus,” read the petition. Earlier the Karni Sena had also sent a legal notice to the makers of Aashram.
Twitter Weighs In
Netizens have now gotten into a Twitter battle over the series as several demand its ban while others believe that it actually shows us the mirror. Some Twitter users even went on to call Prakash Jha an accomplice to leftists and have demanded legal action against the filmmaker. Terms like ‘anti-Hindu’ and ‘conspiracy against Hinduism’ also came to light.
As the battle continues, #BanAashramWebSeries seems to have gained momentum. Check out some reactions:
#BanAashramWebseries Bollywood has proven again that it is funded by AntiHindu elements, is compelled to produce movies & web series to defame only Hindu Faith. It is blind towards ill practices of other religion.
— Shouvik Sarkar 🇮🇳🚩 (@ShouvikSarkar) December 16, 2020
The web series Aasharm produced by Prakash Jha insults Hinduism, Guru and Ashram tradition. Therefore, it should be banned immediately and Prakash Jha should be arrested immediately for hurting religious sentiments.#BanAashramWebseries pic.twitter.com/KqAdftudHL
— Îshîkã 😍😍 (@Tweet2Isha) December 16, 2020
Movies and serials which were used as a tool to show social problems are now being used to portray wrong image of our Hindu Saints like 'Aashram' webseries which must be banned. #BanAashramWebserieshttps://t.co/8VBsGzJBQa
— Sachchidanand Yadav (@Sachchi24702539) December 16, 2020
#BanAashramWebseries and punish Prakhash Jha , Bobby Deol who are spreading hate against hindu culture by defaming Innocent Hindu saints .
The Big conspiracy against Hinduism!!https://t.co/F7wvWXBK6l— Arun (@Arun54368133) December 16, 2020
It seems Prakash Jha is an accomplice to leftists that's why playing with the hindu beliefs.#BanAashramWebseries
— Arun (@Arun54368133) December 16, 2020
Ye kya naya aaya?
2 seasons nikal gaye! 🙄
And ye sab kalpanik hai wali line thi to starting mein!
Hindu saints aise thodi hain! Unka naam is series ne nai baba log ne kharab kar rakha h. Ye to bas dikha rahi h.
Why is it trending? 🙄#BanAashramWebSeries
— Aayush Arora (@aayushvarora) December 16, 2020
Directed and produced by Prakash Jha, the first season of Aashram was released on MX Player in August 2020. The second season titled ‘Aashram Chapter 2: The Dark Side’ was released in October and free streaming was made available from November onwards on the OTT platform.
Earlier, Netflix original series Bad Boy Billionaires also ran into legal trouble. Based on the lives of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy and Ramalinga Raju, the show revealed how the four men built their empires and were later accused of corruption. Three separate petitions were filed against the series by Subrata Roy, Mehul Choksi and Ramalinga Raju. The Supreme Court later permitted Netflix to release the series and dismissed the pleas.
Whether Aashram will continue to be available for viewing or not is a question that remains to be answered. While some scenes were truly disturbing, the show does bring to light a few realities too. Let’s hope the correct decision comes to light soon.
Feature Image: Instagram
