“You are next!” standupBollywood

The entire film fraternity of Bollywood and also many in the Telugu film industry came out strongly in support of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

The award-winning director of popular films like Bajirao Mastani and Devdas, was shooting for his latest film, Padmavati in Jaipur, Rajasthan,when he was assaulted by vandals belonging to Karni sena, a Hindu fringe group who objected to its narrative and reacted to a rumour that Rani Padmavathi was romancing Alauddin Khilji and went on a rampage.

Bollywood celebrities, including filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt,Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar, Ram Gopal Verma, Anurag Kashyap and Madhur Bhandarkar along with actors Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor and many more have expressed their anger.

Anurag Kashyap,the director who was at the receiving end from the censoring board, CBFC for producing, Udta Punjab, tweeted, “Can once the whole film industry come together and take a stand, and refuse to be a pony that all bullshit and bullshitters ride on??”

Ramgopal Varma in his typical way commented that this isthe height of”burre din.” Instead of the acche din promised.

Renuka Shahane, acclaimed actress posted a strong message which is now trending on social media. In her post she connects all the dots and condemns in no uncertain terms the growth of intolerance. Following is a paragraph in her long post:

Why should a group of bullies, on hearsay, take the law into their own hands? If they had a grievance they should have addressed it in the right manner.
But evidently some people love violence and/or think the film industry is a soft target. If political parties can make capital of bullying film personalities into submission( or extort money from them) by pressurising them just before their big releases & the CM of Maharashtra mediates & therefore indirectly endorses this extra-Constitutionary authority form of bullying, then it opens the floodgates of hate by ” the hurt sentiment” brigade.