Director Anurag Kashyap has apologised for any sentiments that might have been hurt because of his new film, Manmarziyaan. Kashyap was responding to criticism by certain members of the Sikh community who felt that showing characters smoking was offensive.
Kashyap tweeted his ‘statement on the brewing controversy’ on Wednesday, and said that the film is not commenting on a community but ‘talking about individuals and their choices’. A complaint against the film was lodged in Nainital on Wednesday.
RTI activist Gurvinder Singh Chadha has filed a complaint with the police in Haldwani alleging the movie disrespects the religious faith of Sikh community.
“Every step of the way, we asked for guidance from Sikh people for the film,” he wrote. He added that they took the advice of experts who said that a wedding scene could not be shot at the Golden Temple and restricted it to ‘Mattha tekna’.
About the controversial smoking scene, Kashyap wrote that the crew took the advice of the public, who told them that the character should remove his turban (in a respectful way) before smoking.
{{/usCountry}}About the controversial smoking scene, Kashyap wrote that the crew took the advice of the public, who told them that the character should remove his turban (in a respectful way) before smoking.
{{/usCountry}}“The city of Amritsar opened their hearts and doors to us and everything was done with utmost care . Not a single thing was shot without guidance. We wanted to show things the way they are,” he continued. To those whose hurt is genuine, I offer a genuine apology, that wasn’t my intention. And for those who are doing it for attention, I am glad you have got the attention,” he finished.
Kashyap, known for films such as Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and 2, Dev.D and for co-directed Netflix’s Sacred Games, also made the film No Smoking in 2007.
Manmarziyaan features Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles and tells a three-way love story set in Amritsar. The film has attracted positive reviews, mostly directed towards its cast, and has been moderately successful at the box office, having made Rs 16 crore in four days.
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