Kaali is titled after the Hindu goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change. Her name is also commonly written as Kali and she is also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika. In the Shaktism tradition, Kaali is the supreme of all powers. In the tantric tradition, Kaali is the first named of the Mahavidya, the ten goddesses
Pravasisamwad.COM
Toronto, Canada-based Indian filmmaker has been granted protection from the Supreme Court of India after being subjected to multiple police investigations and death threats because of her portrayal of the Hindu goddess, Kali, reported wildhunt.org.
Madurai-born Manimekalai is a decorated and respected Indian filmmaker, poet, and actor who is the inaugural artist-in-residence at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She released her documentary film, Kaali, as a short project in TMUs Under the Tent programme at the Aga Khan Museum. Kaali was part of 18 pieces produced in the exhibition of “multidisciplinary works from across Canada explored multiculturalism not as a destination but as a journey towards many destinations”.
The Under the Tent storytelling project is presented to promote diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds by asking “selected participants to reflect on individual and collective experiences with multiculturalism, race and diversity, and to propose contributions towards its future possibilities.”
Kaali is titled after the Hindu goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change. Her name is also commonly written as Kali and she is also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika. In the Shaktism tradition, Kaali is the supreme of all powers. In the tantric tradition, Kaali is the first named of the Mahavidya, the ten goddesses.
The High Commission of India in Ottawa urged authorities to “take action” against the filmmaker for what it considered a “disrespectful depiction” of Kali
Manimekalai’s film poster depicted Goddess Kaali as a smoking woman with one of her arms carrying a dagger draped in the in LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag. Manimekalai’s film portrays Kaali as descending on a queer BIPOC filmmaker who moves through the streets of Toronto night as the goddess from Tamil and Telegu folklore. The performance portrays the rebellious and defiant spirit that possesses people including eating meat and drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and dancing in a transgressive show.
“My Kaali believes in love and sharing. She accepts the cigarette from a Black street dweller at a park around Kensington market in Toronto and listens to reggae,” said Manimekalai to Write last year. “When Kaali descends on me, the Queer Filmmaker, she will definitely hold a pride flag and a camera. Kaali is my embodiment. I have performed as Kaali.”
Manimekalai added, “My Kaali is inspired from Tamil and Telugu village rituals where she comes on people as a spirit and eats meat, smokes ganja, drinks country arrack, urinates in the middle of the village, spits on filth and dances wild. I embodied her and chose to walk across the streets of downtown Toronto, the land of immigrants, to understand settler colonialism.”
Last July, six months after the release of the film, Manimekalai shared a tweet depicting the poster to promote the screening of her film. The poster image exploded. It went viral and enraged some on social media. A massive social media backlash resulted which included the hashtag #ArrestLeenaManimekalai.
The High Commission of India in Ottawa urged authorities to “take action” against the filmmaker for what it considered a “disrespectful depiction” of Kaali.
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