Reacting to a video of filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri where he can be seen saying that the word 'Bhopali' means 'homosexuals', former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh said this must be his personal experience. "It is not what common Bhopal residents feel. I am associated with Bhopal and Bhopal residents since 1977 and this is not what I feel to be right. Wherever you stay, there's always an influence of the company you keep," Digvijaya Singh tweeted.
"I was brought up in Bhopal, but I am not Bhopali. The word Bhopali has a different connotation. I will tell you in private or you can ask some Bhopali," Vivek Agnihotri said and then adds, "If you call someone a Bhopali it means the person is homosexual and with nawabi taste. "
The video is part of an interview on The Kashmir Files. The comment came in the context of using the word Kashmir Hindu vis-a-vis Kashmiri Pandit. Vivek Agnihotri was asked during the interview to comment on the controversy that Kashmiri Pandits should not be called Kashmiri Hindus. Vivek Agnihotri said there is no solution to the debate as it depends on what word has come into usage. And then he gave the example of Bhopali and said though Bhopali means something else, now the word is used to refer to a person who is from Bhopal.
{{/usCountry}}The video is part of an interview on The Kashmir Files. The comment came in the context of using the word Kashmir Hindu vis-a-vis Kashmiri Pandit. Vivek Agnihotri was asked during the interview to comment on the controversy that Kashmiri Pandits should not be called Kashmiri Hindus. Vivek Agnihotri said there is no solution to the debate as it depends on what word has come into usage. And then he gave the example of Bhopali and said though Bhopali means something else, now the word is used to refer to a person who is from Bhopal.
{{/usCountry}}"Maybe both sides are correct. Pandit came to the regular usage because they were very qualified. But those who were born and brought up in Kashmir and saw Kashmiri Pandit word in use continued using the word Kashmiri Pandit. They can't be blamed," Vivek Agnihotri said.
Vivek Agnihotri on Friday met Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who promised government help to the director's proposal of a Genocide museum in the state.
"I thank Vivek ji for bringing the pain of our Kashmiri brothers and sisters in front of the world," the chief minister said. "The movie, as Vivek Ji said and I also agree, is not aimed at spreading hatred, but to bring out the truth so that no other area becomes Kashmir," Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
"Vivek ji is a son of Madhya Pradesh. He was brought up in Bhopal. Earlier, I used to think he is my senior. But then we discussed our age and found out that I am his senior," Shivraj Singh said.