The recent web series Godman has been taken down because several viewers and Hindu groups have objected to it. An announcement to this effect was made through the official Twitter handle of the streaming platform.

'Godman' series has Daniel Balaji, Jayaprakash and Soniya Agarwal in the lead role. Zee5 released the teaser of the series last week and was planning to release the series on 12th June 2020. Godman reportedly traces the transformation of a gangster into a 'spiritual leader', with the guidance of a guru who believes priesthood is not restricted to a particular caste or community.

The teaser of the Webseries have stirred controversy over the insult of Hinduism and the Brahmin community. Dialogues like “Which Shastra says that only a Brahmin should study Vedas? All the Brahmins who are around us are not good” have created a huge controversy. Various Hindu religious organisations have been blaming the series for blasphemy on Hinduism and insulting the Hindu deities.

Godman teaser showed various scenes that appeared to be taken directly from Nithyananda case like Jayaprakash as Sadhu getting arrested and Daniel Balaji getting involved with many women. The teaser is not taken down by the makers from YouTube.
Tamil Nadu BJP Spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy had filed a complaint with the Chennai police alleging that Godman web series is against the Brahmin Community.

Kanchi Mutt contacted Subramaniam Swamy of BJP regarding possible content which could malign its image. Mr. Subramaniam Swamy swung into action and spoke to Chandra, Zee TV group chairman, and managed to get a stay on the upcoming webseries.

In a statement released by Zee5, it said that they have decided to suspend the release of this show at this moment and claimed that the producers, show, ZEE5 had “no intent whatsoever of offending or hurting any community, religious or personal beliefs or sentiments”.

"ZEE5 is a responsible content creator and a leading player in the digital eco-system. The platform has been following stringent guidelines when it comes to self - regulating content and has proactively instilled a robust set of features in this regard. Purely in the interest of its viewers, ZEE5 was also one of the first industry players to have signed the Code for Self-Regulation of Online Curated Content Providers. Basis the feedback that we have received with reference to our latest Tamil language fiction show - GODMAN, we have decided to suspend the release of this show at this moment. The producers, show and ZEE5 had no intent whatsoever of offending or hurting any religious beliefs, community, personal beliefs or sentiments. ZEE5 Offers over 100+ original shows across languages, showcasing the finer aspects of the society, in order to keep its viewers well-informed and entertained", said Zee5 in its statement.

A lot of netizens and Hindu outfits expressed their opposition against Zee5 for the content and their move to air it on OTT. Some of them even said that they are going to unsubscribe Zee5.