Sikkim Lok Sabha MP Writes Letter to I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar for Action Against Paatal Lok

Anushka Sharma, 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 which 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.

"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-19 pandemic," 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.

Read: Anushka Sharma Served with Legal Notice Over Casteist Slur in Paatal Lok

The web series has been receiving good reviews, but has also given rise to controversies. BJP MLA Nandkishore Gurjar has filed a complaint against Anushka for using his photo in the show without his permission. The politician has demanded a case be filed against the actress under National Security Act for causing communal stir.

In his complaint, the MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Loni has said that Paatal Lok shows castes in Sanatan Dharma and different Hindu agencies in a negative light, which is 'anti-national', India Today reported.

Gurjar's photo has been used in a scene in Paatal Lok in which Balkrishna Bajpayee, who is a negative character in the show, is shown to be inaugurating a national highway.

The picture has been morphed to include the show's fictional characters. The original picture also features other BJP leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Follow @News18Movies for more