Da Vinci stokes passions

A forum has called people of all faiths in Mumbai to go on hunger strike if the Govt fails to ban the 'anti-Christian' film.

Having inflamed passions and sparked heated debates across the globe, Da Vinci Code is set for a run-in with controversy in India.

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Days before the film based on Dan Brown’s bestseller hits cinemas in the country, the Catholic Social Forum has called people of all faiths in Mumbai to fast unto death from May 12 if the government fails to ban the “anti-Christian” film.

If that were not enough, a former corporator Nicholas Almeida, has done a Haji Qureishi, announcing a reward of Rs 11 lakh for anyone who “brings the author dead or alive before him”.

The forum had held protests when the book was released but did not call for a ban. Clearly, the prospect of the book’s radical rewriting of Christian myths — the claim that Jesus Christ was a mortal who married Mary Magdalene — reaching a wider audience has prompted the offensive. “We asked people to be careful while reading the book. The impact of a movie is much greater than that of a book. If this movie is allowed to run, there will be mass brainwashing,” general secretary Joseph Dias said.

“The book calls Jesus the ‘sexiest man on earth’ and talks about his marriage to Mary Magdalene. For mankind, Jesus may have died but not for us, Christians,” Almeida said on Monday.

The forum expects over 2,000 Christians for its “prayer crusade” at Cannosa Convent in Mahim on May 10 where they plan to burn effigies of Dan Brown and show some of the objectionable clippings of Tickle My Funny Bone — the other movie they are protesting against.

Despite the clamour against the film, Da Vinci Code's local distributors, Sony Pictures, on Tuesday said the film would be released on May 19.