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Apurva Asrani opens up on quitting Twitter: You are asked to pick a side, truth is compromised to main association
Writer Apurva Asrani says people ask you to pick sides on social media, and keep “mum” about certain opinions- and we couldn’t take it any longer.
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After quitting Facebook three years back, Apurva Asrani has now quit Twitter. And the reason, this time, is the fact that he was asked to take sides to even give his opinion about films. He had shared a tweet announcing the same.
“I find that Twitter is increasingly polarised into black or white. Various groups demand exclusive membership, and you have to pick a side. I believe that truth is often compromised to maintain association, and you have to keep mum about certain opinions that don’t gel well with your support group,” he makes it clear while talking to us about it.
The 45-year-old, who has written acclaimed projects such as the film Aligarh and Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, goes on to add that it is not as if he is scared of expressing himself, fearing any backlash from within the film fraternity. “I can’t do selective truth and my candid opinion is, at times, perceived as hurtful and upsetting. And it’s not that I fear upsetting people, you can’t please everyone all the time. I feel that as a conscientious writer, my opinions need deeper research and follow ups that a ‘fastest finger first’ twitter culture doesn’t permit. I have decided to reserve my views for a film, series or an article, where I can put forth my views clearly and succinctly,” he tells us, adding he is on Instagram only.
Asrani feels being on Twitter is currently not ‘the right time’, “...because our society is going through a churning that is reflected on Twitter. It is a time of flux and volatility, as old systems are being challenged for new. But I believe things will settle in the future. Also, more than anything, I need some time and distance to nurture my soul and to incubate important stories that I want to tell.”
