The process of making movies and releasing them in India is getting tough for filmmakers nowadays as first, they need to tackle the censor board which is more than happy to cut the important parts of a film in the name of decency and if anyhow they successfully handle the censor board, then there are religious groups who will come on roads and protest against the movie, just because they got offended due to a scene or dialogue.
Arshad Warsi’s upcoming release “The Legend of Michael Mishra” has stuck into controversy after one religious group has felt offended with a dialogue in the movie and has threatened Arshad Warsi of dire consequences. The actor was told that his “body parts will be cut off” and he will be “burned alive”.
There is a dialogue in the film, “Daaku Valmiki Se Sant Valmiki Ban Jayenge” and it has hurt the religious sentiments of the Valmiki Samaj. As a result, they have decided to boycott the movie which is slated to release on August 5. An FIR has been lodged and a letter has also been written to the filmmakers!
Here’s The Letter:
“My name is Ravindra Singh Valmiki, I am a resident of Mehrauli. This afternoon, at 3:30 pm, I saw the trailer of Arshad Warsi’s film Michael Mishra in which there’s the dialogue, “Daaku Valmiki Se Sant Valmiki Ban Jayenge,” which has hurt the religious sentiments of the Valmiki Samaj. The film is releasing on August 5 and Valmiki Samaj will boycott it. I have filed an FIR against Arshad Warsi, the film’s writer-director, Manish Jha and producers, Kishor Arora and Shareen Mantri Kedia of Eyecandy Films, demanding their arrest, they should be tried under IPC 295. The Valmiki Samaj requests you to halt the release of the film.”
As far as Arshad Warsi’s reaction on the controversy is concerned, this is what the actor said, “People had no idea what they were talking about”. He stood in support of his movie when he said, “Everyone knows the story of Valmiki, the writers researched their facts too. If I had thought that dialogue or anything else was offensive, I would not have done it. I’ve stayed away from X-rated content all through my career.”
The actor added, “Today, everyone is so careful because India is packed with religious sentiments and there are so many reference groups to raise objections to anything. But this film has been cleared by the Censor Board which wanted two scenes edited from the film. For a smooth release, we will send an apology note to the Samaj in Delhi since I love the Capital and would like to visit it again.”
He went on to say, “Only the promos and story work for the film. If controversies benefited a film, Udta Punjab would have been a blockbuster. Only Rajinikanth sells, and of course, Salman Khan.”
What is your reaction with regard to this controversy? Do you think that an action should be taken against the actor and filmmakers and the movie’s release should be stopped or do you have a different opinion? Share your views in the comments section below.
