On Tuesday, the Delhi Police and the UP Police filed FIRs against Leena Manimekalai, the director of Kaali, for allegedly offending religious emotions with the 'very offensive' movie poster depicting the goddess Kaali.

The filmmaker, associate producer, and editor of the documentary 'Kaali' have been named in a FIR filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and as many as two sections of the IT (Amendment) Act 2008 in response to widespread outrage over a poster for the movie that depicts a woman dressed as Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette. The Hazratganj police station in the state capital of Lucknow is where the FIR was filed on Monday.

A charge for allegedly offending Hindu sentiments had already been filed with the Delhi Police on Monday. Vineet Jindal, a lawyer from Delhi, filed a complaint against the director over the contentious poster, asking for a ban on the offensive image and the segment of the documentary that was shown at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada.

A woman smoking a cigarette while wearing a Goddess Kaali costume, in Jindal's words, is 'hurting the sensibilities and beliefs of the Hindu community.'

Ajay Gautam, a member of the Gau Mahasabha, has also lodged a grievance against Leena.

While the UP Police filed the FIR under the IPC's sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 295A (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings), Delhi Police claimed they had filed the FIR under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 295A (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings). Along with the documentary's director, Leena Manimekalai, its editor, Shravan Onachan, and assistant producer, Asha, have all been identified.

The film's poster, which featured a woman smoking while wearing a costume like the Goddess and was displayed as part of the Aga Khan Museum's 'Rhythms of Canada' section, was shared on Twitter by the Madurai-born, Toronto-based filmmaker. There is also a flag for the LGBT community in the distance.

The poster has sparked a social media uproar with the hashtag 'Arrest Leena Manimekalai,' claiming that the director is offending religious sensitivities and a claim that a member of the group known as Gau Mahasabha has reported the filmmaker to Delhi Police.

The portrayal of Goddess Kaali sparked outrage on social media for offending religious feelings.

Leena resorted to Twitter to defend herself after receiving criticism for her poster and to implore followers to 'choose love over hatred.'

The Toronto-based director struck back at the assaults by stating that she was prepared to pay with her life.

'Nothing is lost on my end. I want to have the freedom to speak my mind without fear for as long as I have the ability to do so. If my life is the price for that, I'll pay it 'In reaction to an article about the dispute, Manimekalai commented on Twitter in Tamil.

The filmmaker, who was born in Madurai, tweeted the 'Kaali' poster on the microblogging website on Saturday, noting that the movie was a part of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto's 'Rhythms of Canada' section.

Manimekalai also urged viewers to see the movie in order to comprehend the significance of the poster.

'The film is about the events during Kaali's strolls through the streets of Toronto city one fine evening. If they watch the movie, they will put the hashtag 'love you Leena Manimekalai' rather than 'Arrest Leena Manimekalai',' she said.

The insulting representation of Hindu deities on display as part of the Aga Khan Museum's 'Under the Tent' exhibit has been requested to be removed by the Canadian authorities, according to the Indian High Commission.

A press release from the Indian High Commission in Canada urged 'the Canadian authorities and the event organizers to delete any such offensive material.'

The movie's poster is just blasphemous and offends Hindus' religious sensibilities. Hindu organisations have expressed disapproval of this Goddess Kaali representation. Something fresh designed to humiliate Hindus appears every day. Why is no one acting right now? On the altar of 'liberal creation,' why are Hindu deities and religious doctrines mocked, humiliated, and denigrated? Should Hindus be punished for their tolerance? Hindus are under pressure to adopt a tougher attitude, aren't they?

At the same time as there has been an international uproar over insults made about the Prophet Muhammadby suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, there has been a furor about the movie Kaali. The argument raised questions about what constituted blasphemy and free speech, opening up a can of worms.