Navya Shastra (www.shastras.org), an international Hindu reform organization, while commending the Bachhans for their Hindu religiosity and charitable works, is extremely concerned that their actions will have unhealthy impacts on their fan-base and subject brides-to-be to expiation ceremonies. It has therefore expressed its strong disapproval of Manglik-related and similar penance ceremonies done by the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. The organization contends that astrology and similar unscientific practices should be renounced in marital matchmaking and other everyday activities in Hindu society.
The organization further notes that much of so-called Hindu astrology is an imported amalgamation of long-invalidated pseudo-sciences emerging from Babylon , Greece Persia
"What concerns us is that millions of people may rationalize their mistreatment of women based upon the Bachan-Rai example," said Dr. Jaishree Gopal, Navya Shastra Chairman, "as it is, hundreds of thousands of women -- and even some men -- have difficulty marrying because of the alleged perniciousness of a random confluence of stars."
Navya Shastra notes that the religious rationale for untouchability is also based upon an accidental birth, and exhorts the Bachchans and Rai to renounce such actions.