‘We apologised and they let us go’

Oshiwara police station mistake film actor in burqa for a terrorist, interrogate, before leaving him with a warning.

It’s a classic case of art imitating life. The Oshiwara police has filed a case against Shakal Par Mat Jaa director, Shubh and actor, Harsh Parekh. The latter was found wandering in a burqa on the streets, raising a terrorist alarm. For now, the two have been released with a “warning.”

HT Image

Shubh, who is also acting in the film says it was a careless mistake as Harsh was dressed that way only for the shoot. The director says, “After the scene was canned, we took a short break to set up the next sequence. In the break, Harsh got a call and started walking while chatting on phone. He didn’t realise that he had ventured in another area, until his appearance raised an alarm.”

The director admits that the police interrogated them: “They filed a case, but when we explained the

situation, they agreed to let us go with a warning. I signed as guarantor for him.”

Mistaken identity

Incidentally, the film also talks about a case of mistaken identity. In the film though, the boys are caught as suspects at the Delhi International Airport on the one-year anniversary of the Britain’s subway attacks. He says, “The storyline shows them being caught, while capturing a British Airways aircraft on their camera, which they claim to be a shot for a documentary that they are making.”

However unlike in the film, the actor-director is thankful that in real life he didn’t have to go through gruelling interrogation for the aforementioned incident. He says, “In the film, the interrogation becomes a horrible nightmare where everything that these four guys say only puts them into further trouble.”