A Christian organization says it will file a criminal complaints against the makers of a Hindi movie, which depicts Jesus Christ in an insulting and derogatory manner.
Posters promoting the movie: Who’s There? (Kaun Hai Wahan?), show Jesus Christ hanging upside down on a crucifix with knives in the background. One features a man stabbing Jesus while he is being crucified.
Although the producers have issued an apology, officials of the Catholic Secular Forum say the posters are in bad taste and could stoke sectarian tension.
“An apology has been given by the film makers but we will still proceed with our complaint to ensure that such things do not happen in future,” said Joseph Dais, the forum’s general secretary.
He said all references to Christianity in the movie have been removed and a special screening was organized for Christian leaders in Mumbai.
However, legal action has to be taken to serve as a deterrent to those who try to hurt people’s religious sentiments, he added.
The film deals with a ghost haunting a newly married couple. It is scheduled for release on November 18.
Dais said forum officials will also meet federal law and justice minister Salman Khurshid next week regarding the matter.
“We will demand a blasphemy law in which no God or religious head can be ridiculed as India is a communally sensitive country,” he added.
Father Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops’ conference, said there has been a growing number of movies and advertisements that denigrate the Christian faith and its practices.
“The steps being taken by the Christian forum will send a strong signal to those who have scant regard for the faiths of other,” he said.