Earlier this month, Hamza Ali Abbasi called out Netflix over one of their recent ventures, Cuties.
The French film is a 2020 coming-of-age comedy-drama, written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré as her directorial debut. It follows the story of Amy, an 11-year-old girl who originally hails from Senegal and grows up in a working-class area of Paris. She eventually defies her 'conservative' family when she "becomes aware of her burgeoning sexuality," according to the film's description.
"Things turn swiftly as Amy is fascinated by her disobedient neighbour Angelica's twerking clique called Cuties," it reads.
Netflix had earlier chosen an image showing the four young stars posing in tight costumes baring their legs and midriffs to promote the upcoming film. Following the promotional content and released trailer, tens of thousands signed a petition demanding the removal of the film altogether from the platform. Many described it as 'disgusting' and 'for the viewing pleasure of pedophiles'.
One of them was Abbasi. "It's horrifying to see a show in the mainstream blatantly sexualising 11-year-old kids. If this show is still there by the next month, I am canceling my Netflix subscription and so should you." said the Alif actor.
Its horrifying to see a show in the mainstream blatantly sexualising 11 yr old kids. If this show is still there by next month..i am canceling my Netflix subscription and so should you.
— Hamza Ali Abbasi (@iamhamzaabbasi) August 31, 2020
Netflix: Cancel CUTIES on Netflix! - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/sk5eYbYRCX via @Change
He then went on to share the petition many were sharing earlier on and called for the cancelation of the show. "Cancel Cuties on Netflix! - Sign the Petition!" he added.
A user then responded to his tweet saying, "Already cancelled. This normalisation of sexualising children needs to stop and those pushing it need to be challenged. Authorities should investigate this as a matter of urgency."
To this Abbasi said, "Not cancelled. Netflix only apologised for the poster and changed it."
The user then clarified that they were talking about their own Netflix subscription when they said, "already canceled'. They further added "I hope Netflix sees sense and removes the show."
However, now, the Pyaare Afzal star has shared that he has cancelled his subscription of the streaming giant as a way to protest.
"Despite global condemnation, Netflix still went ahead and released Cuties! Yup, now we have soft core pedo porn on a mainstream media platform. That's a deal breaker for me. Can't do much but what I can do is Cancel my Netflix subscription, maybe YOU SHOULD TOO!" Abbasi tweeted with a screenshot of his cancellation recipt.
Despite global condemnation, Netflix still went ahead & released CUTIES! Yup, now we have soft core Pedo Porn on a mainstream media platform. Thats a deal breaker for me. Cant do much but what i can do is Cancel my Netflix subscription, maybe YOU SHOULD TOO! #cutiesnetflix pic.twitter.com/QuqJPUJacj
— Hamza Ali Abbasi (@iamhamzaabbasi) September 12, 2020
The uproar began when many condemned the film on social media. Netflix had since apologised, but did not remove the film.
Nevertheless, a social media user had earlier shared a screenshot of their alleged conversation with the streaming giant, asking whether if it supported peadophilia. "How does a movie sexualising children get approved? Who signed off on this?" they asked.
In response Netflix reportedly said, "We understand that not all stories may appeal to all our viewers, which is why we always invest in a diverse range of content from all over the world. We also provide ratings, synopsis, trailers and controls to help our members make the right viewing choices for themselves and their families."
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