After forcing India's leading jewellery brand to apologise for an advert promoting interfaith weddings, the troll army has now unleashed its anger on A-list actor Akshay Kumar for his much-hyped movie "Laxmmi Bomb".
Netizens are trending #ShameonAkshayKumar and slamming the movie for promoting "Love Jihad", a derogatory reference to interfaith couples with a Muslim husband and a Hindu wife.
Many people on Twitter have demanded to change title of the film because it uses a Hindu Goddess-sounding name, Laxmi, for a Muslim character. Several are outraged as the movie promotes Hindu-Muslim relationships.
It has now become an ideology to announce one's own film or to make a film in the name of the God of Hinduism ... and to name a male character from another community and to name a female character Hindu .... this is a shame .
— Gautam Aajra™ (@Gautam_Aajra) October 16, 2020
Answer?....@akshaykumar#ShameOnUAkshayKumar pic.twitter.com/51Tk2Vr1v4
Akshay kumar, you should change movie name to "Twinkle Bomb" ,
— Anusha (@AnushaRandive) October 16, 2020
Using Laxmi word will not be acceptable by any Hindu. 😡#ShameOnUAkshayKumar pic.twitter.com/ACQjnkwaK5
Hey @akshaykumar
— शैलेश तिवारी 🚩 (@SGT_01) October 16, 2020
I thought u were different from all those bunch of Bollywood jokers!
But u too r same!
Why didn’t u name ur upcoming movie as AYESHA-BOMB ? Why u named it Laxmi-bomb?
So u mean to insult HINDU-RELIGION Right?
We will show u our reactions 🖕
#ShameOnUAkshayKumar pic.twitter.com/xGb3GUXJ39
The list of reasons for netizens' outrage didn't stop there. Some of them have called for boycotting the movie, as the movie is produced by Shabina Khan, a Muslim, and accused her of being a Kashmiri separatist.
WARRIORS the producer of Laxmi Bomb is a Kashmiri separatist! So if u watch this film, u should know what are u funding!! damn this Akshay Kumar!! screen pe toh kese India India krta h aur kaam dekho😠#IsupportArnabgoswami #ShameOnUAkshayKumar pic.twitter.com/J9AeKiJxHj
— 🅺🆁🅸🆂🅷🅽🅰🍥 (@krishnajindal07) October 16, 2020
However, a counter-trend #WeLoveUAkshayKumar followed on Twitter as his fans came out in his defence. Akshay's supporters slammed the people for calling Akshay "anti-national" and for growing intolerance.
So now according to the logic of these brain-dead modi bhakts one can't even play a muslim character in a film 🤦♂️ It's a simple horror comedy film there's no mockery of any religion in the film.
— Vardhan. (@VardhanXP) October 16, 2020
Love you man @akshaykumar ❤️#WeLoveUAkshayKumar pic.twitter.com/lJKl7EPk3D
On Monday, a similar controversy ensued when India's leading jewellery brand Tanishq showed an advertisement featuring a Hindu-Muslim couple. In the wake of the advert, miscreants attacked a jewellery store in the state of Gujarat, forcing the store manager to apologise.