‘Dirty Mind’ music video deemed too racy for Bollywood over saffron clothes: Protests rock India over film’s sexy dancers wearing traditional Hindu colors

Hindu nationalists burned effigies of film stars in protest against a sexy dance routine in an Indian film in which an actress wore a saffron dress.

Indian actress Deepika Padukone, 36, throws her hips back in beachwear during a musical segment of the Bollywood film Pathaan and says: ‘The moment I feel a wave of modesty, I throw it to the wind. The world has not seen my true nature.’

The video clip was too much for Narottam Mishra, a minister from Madhya Pradesh’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – India’s ruling party under Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who said “the film Pathaan was made with a dirty mind”.

But it wasn’t her dancing that offended the minister. He took offense at the color of her dress – a saffron veil traditionally worn by Hindu saints.

Parthaan, the sexy dance movie, is releasing next month. Offended viewers filed a complaint against the actors for offending religious sensibilities in an attempt to get the Ministry of Broadcasting to censor the film

Protesters burn effigies of the actors and director. Saffron attire is usually associated with asceticism, a lifestyle followed by holy figures who renounce sensual pleasures

“The costumes in the song are offensive at first glance,” Mishra told reporters, according to The Times.

Saffron-colored clothes are usually associated with asceticism, a lifestyle followed by holy figures who shun sensual pleasures. The color of the dress – and its use in a scene depicting sexual and promiscuous dancing – sparked outrage among Hindus.

Offended viewers filed a complaint against the actors for offending religious sensibilities in an attempt to get the Ministry of Broadcasting to censor the film.

#BoycottPathaan is trending after the backlash on social media.

The music video, which is sung in a mix of Hindi and Spanish, will be used to promote the action film which is released next month.

Footage shows protesters burning effigies of Shah Rukh Khan, the film’s director.

Angry protesters burned footage of Shah Rukh Khan, who directed the film, as ministers sought to have the suggestive musical segment censored by the state broadcaster’s watchdog.

Khan gave a speech at a film event and warned against restrictions on social media, apparently in response to the backlash surrounding his film

Commenting on the controversy surrounding his film, Khan told NDTV, “Social media is often fueled by a certain narrow-mindedness that limits human nature to its lower self.

“I read somewhere that negativity increases the consumption of social media and therefore also increases commercial value. Such efforts capture the collective narrative, make it divisive and destructive.”

Clergymen like Mishra have previously objected to Bollywood films and entertainment on religious grounds and last year banned a comedian who mocked Hindu extremism.

Modi’s party is in power in 13 states in India and nationalists are becoming more vocal than under previous governments.

Others rushed online to defend the actress, who likely had little say in the decision to wear the dress.

Indian women have begun speaking out against harassment in the past decade after a series of high-profile cases, including the gang-rape of Jyoti Singh, sparked conversation about violence against women.