Raza Academy asks Smriti Irani to ban Priya Prakash Varrier's viral song, says it insults Prophet Mohammad

The Raza Academy has penned a letter to Union Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani seeking a ban on internet sensation Priya Prakash Varrier's song 'Manikya Malaraya Poovi' from her debut movie 'Oru Adaar Love'.

The academy has alleged that the said Malayalam song insults Prophet Mohammad and his 'pious wife'. Asif Sardar, President, Rehmani Group, urged Irani to 'immediately issue instructions to the censor board and the film maker to cut the song and spare the nation from yet another controversy.'

The academy also held a protest here in front of the Minara Mosque, where they held placards with messages like, 'Stop misuse of sacred personalities.'

The first song of Malayalam movie 'Oru Adaar Love' became viral on social media within few hours of its release because of Varrier's cute articulations and wink. Since then, the 18-year-old has become the talk of the town.

Due to be released only on March 1, Oru Adaar Love has the whole country waiting in anticipation to watch it. Despite being lead actress Priya Prakash Varrier’s first full-length commercial film, the teaser has become a global internet sensation overnight.

The 30-second clip shows a young schoolgirl and schoolboy exchanging smiles, eyebrow wiggles and winks from across the way. It has completely captivated audiences the attention that began in Kerala, India, quickly spread nation-wide, to Pakistan and then globally within hours.

‘A stunning exchange of winks and smiles took the teaser video to over 4.3 million views on YouTube in 24 hours and took the actress’ social media following from 5,000 to 1.3 million in a matter of hours,’ said Nitin Bhatia, Managing Director, Executive Alerts, Meltwater India.

Meltwater tracked and analysed the mentions of the film and of Priya herself across online editorial and social media. Collectively, Oru Adaar Love and Priya Prakash Varrier were mentioned 2,723 times on editorial media and 89,785 times on social media globally, in the last week alone.

The trending themes surrounding the film mentions included ‘eyebrow girl,’ which is what Priya has been referred to by the media due to her entrancing eyebrow dance; ‘Kerala,’ referring to the local town where Priya is from; ‘social media,’ due to it being the platform behind the actress’ overnight fame; and ‘Siyadh Shajahan,’ the name of the actor with the lead role who is completely floored by Priya’s wink.

Unsurprisingly, ‘Valentine’s Day’ was also a popular term associated with the film in the last week, on account of the romantic theme of both the film and the day itself.

With its innocence, beauty, charm and refreshing soundtrack, the trailer stirred in everyone a sense of nostalgia for young love. People around the world were sending the clip as a way to show that special someone that they were thinking about them this February 14.