Amazon Backs Akshay Kumar’s ‘Ram Setu’ After ‘Tandav’ Controversy

Amazon Studios will be co-producing Akshay Kumar’s ‘Ram Setu’.

Amazon Studios is backing Akshay Kumar’s Ram Setu.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Akshay Kumar recently attended the mahurat of his upcoming film Ram Setu in Ayodhya. Akshay was accompanied by his co-stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrat Bharucha. The actor also met with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. The UP CM was also shown the script of Ram Setu by Akshay in Dec 2020 on his visit to Mumbai. What's interesting is that Amazon Prime Video will be co-producing Ram Setu.

This is Amazon's very first foray into film production in India. Ram Setu is based on the Ramayana's reference to the bridge that was built by an army led by Lord Ram. Remember Tandav produced by Amazon Prime Video got into a controversy earlier this year. Several right-wing groups accused the show of having hurt religious sentiments of Hindus. FIRs were filed in over 6 cities against the makers and the cast of the show. Amazon and the makers of Tandav apologised for unintentionally hurting people's sentiments. They also cut out the alleged problematic scenes, but the controversy refused to die down.

The Allahabad High Court refused to give Amazon Prime Video creative head Aparna Purohit anticipatory bail in the case. The Supreme Court finally granted interim protection to her from arrest. During the Tandav controversy, Amazon's 'The Family Man' season 2 got postponed despite a release date having been officially announced.

Even its trailer release got pushed back while insiders speculated that the show was being re-edited to avoid a Tandav like controversy and backlash. Will the bankrolling of Ram Setu help "bridge" the differences between influential stake holders of the government and Amazon Prime Video?