Leena Manimekalai now shares pic showing 'Lord Shiva', 'Parvati' smoking

Chennai, July 7:  Controversial Tamil documentary film maker Leena Manimekalai, who is in the eye of storm for showing Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette, has now put out on her Twitter handle an image of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati smoking, hours after her documentary was pulled down from the site.

The documentary film director shared a photo of two individuals dressed as Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvati walking on the streets smoking cigarettes.

She has, however, clarified that this was not from her movie but from everyday rural India as to how folk artists chill out after a show.

Leena Manimekalai is in Canada and was to screen her documentary "Kaali" at the Aga Khan Museum as part of the "Rhythms of Canada" programme of the museum. However, after the Indian embassy took up the issue that the director hurt the religious sentiments of Hindu community by portraying Goddess Kaali in bad light, the film was not allowed to be screened at the museum.

Microblogging platform Twitter also pulled down the documentary from its site after outrage from all corners against her depicting Goddess Kaali in poor light.

The director has however clarified that her Kaali is an epitome of love and sharing and that the Goddess had accepted a cigarette from a black street dweller at a park around Kensington market in Toronto.

Uttar Pradesh and Haryana police have already registered criminal cases against Leena Manimekalai for hurting sentiments of millions of Hindus across the globe who believe in Goddess Kaali.