"Respect Viewers'...": Amazon's "Unconditional" Apology Over 'Tandav'

Amazon Prime Video has issued an unconditional apology over its show 'Tandav', saying it "deeply regrets that viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable". The apology comes days after a single-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court rejected an anticipatory bail application filed by Aparna Purohit, a top Amazon executive, over a police complaint filed against the show in Uttar Pradesh.

At least two FIRs were filed against the makers and actors of the show in Uttar Pradesh last year, alleging some of the scenes hurt religious sentiments.

The makers of the show - starring Saif Ali Khan, Zeeshan Ayyub and Dimple Kapadia - had apologised twice after the controversy. They had also edited out the controversial scenes.

"Amazon Prime Video again deeply regrets that viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable in the recently launched fictional series ''Tandav''. This was never our intention, and the scenes that were objected to were removed or edited when they were brought to our attention," Amazon Prime said in a statement.

"We respect our viewers' diverse beliefs and apologise 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," the company added.

The streaming service said it 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".

Last month, while rejecting Ms Purohit's anticipatory bail request in the Noida case, Justice Siddharth had said, "The conduct of the applicant shows that she has scant respect for the law of the land and her conduct further disentitles her to any relief from this court."

Ms Purohit has protection from arrest till March 9 in a second, separate case filed by the police in Lucknow.