Amazon Prime Video apologises, edits 'objectionable' content from series in India

Amazon Prime Video has deleted or edited scenes from its original political-drama series Tandav and issued an apology after protests in India.

The protests arose over the content of the series, which drew complaints to police and even court cases against its makers and cast in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in January. Those criticising the series, including lawmakers in India's ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), alleged the show depicted Hindu gods and goddesses in a derogatory manner and offended religious beliefs.

Amazon has now issued a statement saying it "deeply regrets that viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable".

The statement added:

This was never our intention, and the scenes that were objected to were removed or edited when they were brought to our attention. We respect our viewers’ diverse beliefs and apologize unconditionally to anyone who felt hurt by these scenes. Our teams follow company content evaluation processes, which we acknowledge need to be constantly updated to better serve our audiences. We will continue to develop entertaining content with partners, while complying with the laws of India and respecting the diversity of culture and beliefs of our audiences.