Winking ‘Forbidden’ in Islam, Says Fresh Plea in SC Against Winking Viral Song

The controversy around Priya Prakash Varrier’s debut movie Oru Adaar Love refuses to die down. A fresh plea has now reportedly been filed in the Supreme Court seeking removal of Manikya Malaraaya Poovi song from the yet-to-be-released Malayalam film, claiming that winking is “forbidden in Islam.”

For the uninitiated, released during the Valentine week, Manikya Malaraaya Poovi had caught the fancy of many after a short sequence, wherein Priya raises her eyebrows and then winks at a boy (Roshan Abdul Rahoof), in the song had gone viral. However, it didn’t go down well with several Muslim groups, that raised an objection to the romantic track terming it as an insult to Prophet Muhammad and his wife Hazrat Khadeeja. They had also asked the makers of the film to remove it immediately from the movie stating that it would hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world.

According to Bar and Bench, two Hyderabad residents have filed an application in the apex court, raising the issue of certain “objectionable visuals” depicted in the song. They have argued that that the picturisation of the song, when seen along with the lyrics, can very well be categorized as an “act of blasphemy.”

“The 30-second clip shows a young schoolgirl and schoolboy exchanging smiles, eyebrows wiggles and winks from across the way. It has completely captivated audiences but with a wrinkle on the face of religious Muslims,” the application stated.

Responding to the controversy around the song, film’s director Omar Lulu had earlier said the song had no objectionable reference and said Muslims in the Malabar region of North Kerala had been singing it for over four decades.

“The song written by CMA Jabbar is sung during marriages and every celebration in Malabar region of North Kerala. Malabar Muslims have been singing this song since 1978. If it was not objectionable then, how has it become objectionable now?” Lulu had said.

He had also said that it was for the censor board to take a final call on the matter.