Marriott Faces Pushback After Sacking Chef For Anti-Islam Tweet

Another plot-twist in the ‘Quantico’ controversy.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Altered by The Quint)

A controversy over an episode of a Hollywood TV show based on a fictional storyline starring an Indian actress, and Indian Twitter users getting angry at the international hotel chain JW Marriot is somehow connected. Yes, the internet is weird like that.

Dubai-based JW Marriott Marquis Hotel is facing severe pushback from a section of users on Indian Twitter, who are asking people to #BoycottJWMarriot after they sacked celebrity chef Atul Kochhar for his anti-Islam tweet.

The London-based Indian-origin chef behind UAE’s Rang Mahal Restaurant courted controversy after he criticised actor Priyanka Chopra over an episode of her American show Quantico, that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists.

Kochhar had tweeted on Sunday: “It’s sad to see that you [Chopra] have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You.” However, he deleted his tweet a day later.

As Marriot distanced itself from the chef, it faced a mega backlash from tweeple who called the restaurant chain ‘fascists’ and ‘anti-free speech’.

Some had more practical reasons to boycott Marriot.

The ‘Quantico’ Controversy

In the recent episode of Quantico S3, The Blood of Romeo, we see Priyanka Chopra foiling a terrorist plot by Indian nationalists pretending to be Pakistanis and attempting a nuclear attack on Manhattan. Their ulterior motive is to blame the neighbouring country. The show that aired on 1 June drew flak from a section of Indian viewers who believed that the episode maligned the country.

Following the outrage, the makers of the show at ABC Studios and later Priyanka Chopra herself issued apologies for ‘hurting sentiments’.

Chef Atul Kochhar was one such fellow who went overboard criticising Chopra for not respecting Hindu sentiments, which resulted in his anti-Islam tweet, eventually leading to him losing his job.