Ashamed to call myself citizen of this country: Neeraj Ghaywan
Mumbai
November 23, 2017
Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan of "Masaan" fame says he feels
ashamed to call himself a citizen of a country where people go about freely
after threatening artistes on national television.
Ghaywan was present at
the screening of his short film "Juice" -- backed by Royal Stag Barrel Select
Large Short Films -- on Wednesday when he was asked about filmmakers' creative
freedom in the wake of the controversy surrounding Sanjay Leela Bhansali's
"Padmavati".
He said: "I am genuinely appalled and ashamed to call myself
a citizen of this country, because to see a man come on national television and
announce that he is going to give Rs 5 crore (to anyone) for cutting Deepika's
(actress Deepika Padukone's) nose or head and then (the offer) goes up to Rs 10
crore, and nothing has happened about it.
"That is really unfortunate and
it's a sad state that we are living in."
On "S Durga" and "Nude", the two
films which were excluded from the final Indian Panorama selection for the 48th
International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Ghaywan said: "I feel we all are
feeling the pressure. Films like 'S Durga' and 'Nude' were not allowed to screen
at IFFI and this is something we have to question.
"But the thing deeply
hurts me was that the biggest female star of our country is threatened like this
on a national television and there are no charges and no arrest done so far. And
it is being done to save the honour of a fictitious woman. How ironic are these
times?"
"Padmavati", according to Bhansali, is a tribute to Rajput queen
Padmavati, and Hindu groups backed by BJP are protesting the movie's release
over concerns that it distorts history.
Mumbai
November 23, 2017
Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan of "Masaan" fame says he feels
ashamed to call himself a citizen of a country where people go about freely
after threatening artistes on national television.
Ghaywan was present at
the screening of his short film "Juice" -- backed by Royal Stag Barrel Select
Large Short Films -- on Wednesday when he was asked about filmmakers' creative
freedom in the wake of the controversy surrounding Sanjay Leela Bhansali's
"Padmavati".
He said: "I am genuinely appalled and ashamed to call myself
a citizen of this country, because to see a man come on national television and
announce that he is going to give Rs 5 crore (to anyone) for cutting Deepika's
(actress Deepika Padukone's) nose or head and then (the offer) goes up to Rs 10
crore, and nothing has happened about it.
"That is really unfortunate and
it's a sad state that we are living in."
On "S Durga" and "Nude", the two
films which were excluded from the final Indian Panorama selection for the 48th
International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Ghaywan said: "I feel we all are
feeling the pressure. Films like 'S Durga' and 'Nude' were not allowed to screen
at IFFI and this is something we have to question.
"But the thing deeply
hurts me was that the biggest female star of our country is threatened like this
on a national television and there are no charges and no arrest done so far. And
it is being done to save the honour of a fictitious woman. How ironic are these
times?"
"Padmavati", according to Bhansali, is a tribute to Rajput queen
Padmavati, and Hindu groups backed by BJP are protesting the movie's release
over concerns that it distorts history.
Tags: Sanjay Leela BhansaliDeepika PadukoneMasaan