IMPACT REPORT: Gems of Bollywood’s War on Sexualisation of Navratri & Devi Worship Date…

IMPACT REPORT: Gems of Bollywood’s War on Sexualisation of Navratri & Devi Worship
Date of publishing: 23 Sep, 2025

WHAT WE DID

1. Eros Now Forced to Apologise for Vulgar Navratri Posts

– GoB amplified public outrage against Eros Now’s vulgar promotional content on Navratri

– Their posts included double-meaning captions on photos of Katrina Kaif, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and others, by equating sex with Navratri celebrations

– Following the campaign, Eros Now issued a public apology and deleted the offensive posts

3. Exposed Bollywood Films Associating Navratri with Murder

– GoB highlighted how films like Suhaag scripted Navratri as the chosen day and a Hindu temple as the chosen venue for cold-blooded murder. The clip showed how Hindu sacred festivals are repeatedly used to anchor crime scenes, never done with festivals of other faiths, raising mass awareness

3. Called Out Sexualisation of ‘Devi’

– GoB flagged films like The Dirty Picture and Jungbaaz where phrases like “Kaali ka Pujari” and “Devi Pooja” were linked with lust, crime and villainy. The campaign has raised mass awareness against allowing such content in future.

4. Exposed Mockery of Navratri Fasting in Modern Films

– GoB showed how recent films like Jodi Breakers mocked the sacredness of Navratri fasting by Hindu women vowing to eat “onion-free chicken” on Navratri. Such writing ridicules sacred dietary vows followed by crores, with no similar treatment to rituals of other religions.

NARRATIVE SHREDDED

We showed how entertainment industry has routinely associated Navratri and Devi worship with vulgarity, sex and crime. Now with mass awareness, any such attempt in future must be countered with protests and consequences.

(Gems of Bollywood is a media-education initiative of @rashtrajyoti. Led by @swati_gs. Founded by @sanjeevsanskrit.)