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Raftaar criticises Tommy Genesis's True Blue song: This is a mockery of my religion

Raftaar criticises Tommy Genesis's True Blue song: This is a mockery of my religion

India Today6 hours ago

Rapper Raftaar condemned Indian-origin Canadian rapper Tommy Genesis, born Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj, over her controversial song titled 'True Blue' on Sunday. Tommy faced sharp criticism for her appearance in the music video, which has been likened to Maa Kali by several social media users.Raftaar shared a screenshot of him reporting the music video on his Instagram stories and urged his fans to follow suit. "This is a mockery of my religion. This shouldn't exist (sic)," he mentioned as a reason for reporting the video.advertisementHave a look at Raftaar's story here:
'True Blue' drew sharp criticism online for cultural appropriation and blatant disregard of religious sentiments. The controversy broke out after Tommy shared visuals promoting her new track in which she appears in blue body paint, adorned with gold jewellery and a bindi, while holding a cross.In some controversial visuals, the Canadian rapper is also seen licking a crucifix and performing a 'namaste' gesture with folded hands. There were many who found this imagery provocative and disrespectful.The video irked both the Hindu and Christian communities, who found the video deeply offensive. Several social media users from the Hindu community criticised the portrayal of Maa Kali as deeply disrespectful, urging the artist to delete the clips. Members of the Christian community, on the other hand, criticised the use of the crucifix in a provocative context.'True Blue' is a song from Tommy Genesis's upcoming music album Genesis. The music video was released on Saturday. Genesis is yet to respond to the backlash.Trending Reel

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Diljit Dosanjh is now part of student syllabus amid 'Sardaar Ji 3' controversy: Canadian university launches new course
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Diljit Dosanjh is now part of student syllabus amid 'Sardaar Ji 3' controversy: Canadian university launches new course

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Maa song Kali Shakti: Kajol collaborates with Usha Uthup for a powerful mythological track
Maa song Kali Shakti: Kajol collaborates with Usha Uthup for a powerful mythological track

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Maa song Kali Shakti: Kajol collaborates with Usha Uthup for a powerful mythological track

The visual grandeur, raw power and the rage of Maa Kali is what makes this strack stand out read more The much-anticipated song 'Kali Shakti' from the upcoming mythological horror MAA has released today and it is nothing short of electrifying. A tribute to the fierce feminine energy embodied by Goddess Kali, the track channels divine power to deliver a message of courage, justice and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The visual grandeur, raw power and the rage of Maa Kali is what makes this strack stand out. At the heart of the track is Kajol's intense dance performance, a fiery expression of rage, strength and divine fury. Her movements, soaked in sindoor and symbolic of Maa Kali's unstoppable energy, evoke devotion and a mother's will to go to any length for her child. Usha Uthup's commanding voice adds a soul-stirring depth, echoing like a divine call. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Legendary Usha Uthup, marking her grand return to Hindi cinema. Her signature deep, resonant vocals bring unmatched gravitas to the track, making Kali Shakti not just a song, but a spiritual and emotional experience. Composed by Harsh Upadhyay and lyrics by Pranav Vatsa. Presented by Jio Studios and Devgn Films, MAA is produced by Ajay Devgn and Jyoti Subbarayan and co-produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak. The film is set for a theatrical release on 27th June 2025.

Janaki vs censorship: Are all names synonymous to Sita too holy for hardship?
Janaki vs censorship: Are all names synonymous to Sita too holy for hardship?

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time2 hours ago

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Janaki vs censorship: Are all names synonymous to Sita too holy for hardship?

Daughter of Janak, Janaki, aka Sita – the wife of Lord Ram – who thus must remain untainted, even from that of any fictional assault. At least by the reasoning of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Mumbai, which reportedly said that a 'God's name should not be given to a woman who was assaulted.'This is about the release of the Malayalam movie 'Janaki Vs State of Kerala' starring Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi. The release has been paused following the censor board's demand that the name Janaki be changed, because it refers to the goddess it seems as if the CBFC has decided that no woman bearing any name synonymous with Sita can be portrayed as an assault survivor on screen. Because clearly, the best way to honour our goddesses is to pretend that mortal women who share their names exist in some sanitised bubble where nothing unpleasant ever happens to But let's follow this logic to a natural has 108 different names. Goddess Lalitha – a supreme manifestation of Shakti within the broader Hindu pantheon – has over 1,000 names. Does that make at least 1,108 names out of bounds for any sort of fictional hardship?But what if you walk through a typical Indian Hindu-majority neighbourhood? Would you not come across anyone who has at least one of these 1,108 names? Do we even know how many women are named Lalitha, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Durga, Kaveri, Ganga, Radha, Rukmini, or any of the countless variations?advertisementBy the CBFC's brilliant logic, we've probably eliminated roughly half the Hindu female population of India from being portrayed in any film that deals with real-world to make a film about domestic violence? Better hope your protagonist isn't named Shanti (another name for Lakshmi and also means peace in English). But wait, wasn't there a teleserial long ago on Doordarshan, which – no prize for guessing – was named Shanti, after the protagonist?Planning a story about workplace harassment? Cross your fingers she's not called Kamala or Nandita (another name for Lakshmi). Educational film about legal rights? Well, forget about naming her Janaki or Vaidehi or Maithili – because apparently goddesses and the women named after them must only exist in a realm of perpetual victimhood-free here's the irony the CBFC seems to have missed: goddess Sita was an assault survivor herself. Ravana abducted her, held her captive, and when she returned, she had to literally walk through fire to prove her 'purity' in an agni we're going to be purists about this, shouldn't the CBFC be demanding that Ramayana, or at least films based on this epic, also be banned for depicting a goddess in distress?advertisementAre we now living in a world where 'Janaki' is some sort of trigger that will somehow diminish our devotion to goddess Sita?Then there is also the question: Where does this end? Will we need a database of every divine name before writing any female character? Should filmmakers start carrying a comprehensive list of the 33 crore Hindu deities and their various names just to avoid accidentally naming a character after one of them?And what about artistic freedom? Artists have always drawn from mythology, religion, and real life to tell stories that matter. When we start cordoning off entire categories of names because they're 'too sacred' for reality – are we protecting our culture or suffocating it?The most absurd part? The Thiruvananthapuram CBFC office cleared the film with a U/A certificate. It was only when it reached Mumbai that suddenly someone discovered their religious sensitivity and decided that 'Janaki' was too holy for a courtroom MB Padmakumar also allegedly went through something similar; a character originally named Janaki Abraham in his film 'Token Number' had to be renamed to Jayanti Abraham to get a feature film certification. These demands were communicated through 'unofficial' WhatsApp calls. Did at least someone in the CBFC recognise the ridiculousness of it all if put in writing?advertisementSo if not Janaki, then who? Perhaps Pooja, or Neha, or Aishwarya or Rekha would do for the name of a survivor of a violent crime. But then, is there a guarantee that someone else would not rise up to protest using some other facetious reason?Or, perhaps, it's time that the censor board realises that the best way to honour our goddesses isn't to pretend that the women named after them live in some fantasy world where bad things never to tell their real stories – including the difficult ones – with dignity and respect. After all, if Sita could survive Ravana and still be revered as a goddess, surely a character named Janaki can survive an assault, a courtroom drama and still keep our faith intact.- EndMust Watch

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