Sunny Deol-starrer Mohalla Assi has run into troubled waters in Varanasi as hundreds of people came out on streets demanding removal of a particular scene. The film's trailer was released a few days ago and in a particular scene, a man dressed as Lord Shiva is seen using abusive language.

Members of the Kash Viddhat Parishad staged a protest in front of the Collectorate, demanding removal of the scene. "Kashi is a religious place for the Hindus and Lord Shiva is our supreme god. It (the scene) not only hurts the sentiments of the Hindus but also maligns the image of the holy city of Varanasi," said Ram Narayan Dwivedi, the secretary of the parishad.

"We will not tolerate this and if the scene is not removed, we will ensure that the film is not released in Varanasi," Swami Avimukteshwaranand, who represents the Shri Vidhya Math in Varanasi, said."No one will agree on this. Such scenes hurt religious sentiments and should be removed", Ram Gopal Mohle said.

Meanwhile, Bollywood has also come in support of the protests.

Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan, who also stars in the film, said that such scenes should have been avoided. "Even I have used abusive language in many scenes as it was the demand. However, the maker has beautifully presented the society and the culture of this holy city. This scene should have been avoided or filmed in some other way to avoid hurting sentiments," Kishan told Mail Today.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Shiv Sena also visited Modi's local office in Varanasi and handed over a letter. "We have written to Modiji and requested him to take strict action in this regard. Such scenes not only malign the image of Varanasi and its culture but also give out a wrong message," said Shiv Sena secretary Ajay Chaube.

Watch the trailer

