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‘BJP using films for propaganda': Akhilesh's jibe directed at #BoycottBollywood?
Akhilesh's tweet comes a day after UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath met Bollywood actors including Suniel Shetty and Jackie Shroff during his two-day visit to Mumbai.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing it of using cinema to further its political ideology.
"Cinema is a medium of entertainment. But the BJP has been using it as a tool to spread its political propaganda. Not only the subject, the film industry is being divided by using the sword of hate driven by fear of the BJP. The BJP does not want the films to instil hope and change", the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister tweeted.
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Akhilesh's tweet comes a day after UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath met Bollywood actors including Suniel Shetty and Jackie Shroff during his two-day visit to Mumbai. The CM pushed UP as a film-making destination. 'We have made two of your film fraternity members as MPs and we know the issues you face and what needs to be done. Cinema plays a crucial role in uniting the society and preserving the unity and sovereignty of the country", PTI quoted him as saying.
Akhilesh's remark is being seen as directed towards the protests over Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan' which has landed in trouble over the 'Besharam Rang' song also featuring Deepika Padukone. Some BJP leaders including Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra and MLA Ram Kadam have objected to Deepika wearing saffron bikini as an insult to Hindu religion.
Mishra threatened to block the release of 'Pathaan' in Madhya Pradesh if certain scenes were not 'rectified'. He even accused Deepika of being a supporter of 'tukde tukde' gang in the JNU case. In fact Kadam had demanded that the film's producer and director come out and clarify over the objections raised by seers over the film.
In recent times, Bollywood films have been at the crosshairs of #BoycottBollywood trend. During his interaction with Yogi Adityanath yesterday, actor Suniel Shetty sought his help to get rid of the trend.
"I want to talk about this hashtag that's going on -- 'Boycott Bollywood'. It can stop if you say something about it. We are doing good work," PTI quoted him.
"It pains me to see this stigma. Ninety-nine per cent of the people here are good. So, please Yogi ji, take the lead and talk to our prime minister about erasing this stigma," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
