Sikkim Lok Sabha MP writes letter to I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar for action against Anushka Sharma’s Paatal Lok

Amazon Prime Video’s new web series Paatal Lok has invited controversy over the use of a word that is seemingly insulting towards the Nepali community.

Anushka Sharma, the producer of the Amazon Prime series Paatal Lok, has been served with a legal notice by a member of the Lawyers Guild for using a word that is seemingly insulting towards the Nepali community. Now, Sikkim Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba has written a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar calling for action against the show.

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“This is regarding sexist slur hurled against the Nepali speaking community in the second episode of the original series Patal Lok which is being streamed in Amazon Prime Video. Nepali is one of the 22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian constitution with 10.5 million people speaking the language as mother tongue. Hence the derogatory and offensive label made in the particular scene of the series has not only hurt the sentiments of the community but has also set an example of racist stereotyping of the people from the community especially at this time where the people from the northeast region have already endured racial assaults owing to the COVID-19pandemic,” Indra Hang Subba has written in the letter.

“I strongly condemn the irresponsible and insensitive act and would like to extend my unconditional support to the appeal made by the community through the online petition which has stressed on Amazon muting the slur, blurring the subtitles and uploading an edited version of the video along with an apology from the makers of the series and a disclaimer,” he added in the letter.

In another controversy, BJP MLA Nandkishore Gurjar recently filed a complaint against Anushka for using his photo in the show without his permission.