Film Producer Leena Manimekalai Faces FIRs Across Multiple States

In the past, film producer Leena Manimekalai had faced several FIRs filed against her in multiple states.

One incident that garnered a lot of attention was when Leena Manimekalai released a poster of her upcoming film, Kali, which depicted the Hindu goddess Kali smoking cigarettes. This led to protests across various parts of India and FIRs being lodged against the producer in several states. However, the Supreme Court has now provided some relief to the filmmaker.

The High Court had previously clubbed together all the FIRs filed against Manimekalai in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, and transferred them to the Delhi Police for investigation. The bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PM Narasimha and JB Pardiwala refused to quash the FIRs but granted liberty to Leena Manimekalai lawyer, Indira Unni Nair, to approach the Delhi court.

Aishwarya Bhati, the Centre’s Additional Solicitor General, who appeared in the case, stated that the filmmaker had not appeared before any of the courts involved and requested that the court order Leena Manimekalai to appear in connection with the FIR. However, the CJI responded by saying that it was just a film and Manimekalai was an American citizen, and if necessary, she could appear before the court.

Earlier, on January 20, the High Court had given interim relief to Manimekalai regarding the FIRs filed against her in various states over the controversial poster of her documentary film, Kali. The poster depicted Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette, which caused offense to some individuals. Based on Manimekalai’s petition, notices were issued to the Central, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand governments.

Manimekalai’s lawyer clarified that there was no intention to offend religious sensibilities, and that the film aimed to portray the goddess in a broad sense. In her plea, filed through advocate Indira Unni Nair, Manimekhalai emphasized that her goal as a creative filmmaker was not to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments but rather to project a fundamentally inclusive goddess. The documentary film aimed to reflect the broader views of Devi.