Prakash Raj slams protesters for burning effigies of SRK and Deepika

Calling them 'bigots', he sought to know why there was not similar outrage after a Karnataka religious figure was accused of rape.

Actor and politician Prakash Raj has slammed protesters in Madhya Pradesh's Indore who burned effigies of Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone amid the row over the 'besharam rang' song in the film 'Pathaan'. Calling them 'bigots', he sought to know why there was not similar outrage after a Karnataka religious figure was accused of rape.

Prakash Raj slams protesters for burning effigies of SRK and Deepika

"... besharam bigots... So, it's okay when saffron-clad men garland rapists... give hate speech... broker MLAs, a saffron-clad swamiji rapes minors, But not a dress in a film??"

On Wednesday members of a right-wing group calling itself 'veer Shivaji' protested in Indore against 'Pathaan' and burned effigies of Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.

They also demanded the film - due to release later next month - be banned.

Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra - who frequently targets movies, TV and web serials and advertisements that he claims offends the Hindu religion - has weighed in too, and (in unsubtle threat) urged filmmakers to 'rectify' scenes shot with 'a dirty mindset'.

Another lawmaker from the Bharatiya Janata Party - Ram Kadam, a MLA from Maharashtra - on Friday joined the voices claiming to have been hurt by the song and film. He demanded the filmmakers 'explain themselves' to 'crores of people' offended by the song.

Both Mishra and Ram Kadam also took a swipe at Deepika Padukone over her 2020 show of support for students from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, after they were attacked by a mob many believe were backed aided by the ruling BJP and right-wing groups.

Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan and the makers of 'Pathaan' have, however, been backed by actor Swara Bhaskar and filmmaker Onir.

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan has spoken on the 'expression of human experience and emotion' at the Kolkata International Film Festival. Khan did not reference either 'Pathaan' or his co-star but said: "Cinema and infact the advent of articulation through social media platforms have now become foremost expression of human experience and emotion. The collective narrative of times is shaped by social media and contrary to the belief that spread of social media will affect cinema negatively."

'Pathaan' is scheduled for release on January 25, 2023.