Bajrang Dal activists disrupt shoot of Hollywood film Victoria & Abdul in Agra
8:11 AM
THE TIMES OF INDIA (November 19, 2016)
A group of Bajrang Dal
members staged a protest on the sets of a Judi Dench-starrer Hollywood
film 'Victoria & Abdul' on Friday, shouting slogans against the
installation of a statue of Queen Victoria in Mehtab Bagh, a
centrally-protected monument.
The group said no relic of colonial rule would be allowed to be installed in Agra, even if it was for a film. Two years ago the right-wing group had forced the local administration to stop installation of two statues of Queen Victoria at Agra's Paliwal Park. Speaking to TOI, actor Ali Fazal, who is playing Mohammad Abdul Karim, Queen Victoria's Muslim Indian attendant, in the British-American drama, said, “The group was shouting 'Jai Shri Ram' and was creating nuisance around the set.“
According to eyewitnesses, the group barged into the shooting area at around 11.30am, triggering fear among the crew and actors who have been in Agra for four days now to shoot the last leg of the film. The filmmakers immediately draped the statue before things went out of control. The incident happened in spite of the presence of police security. The film, based on a 2010 non-fiction, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant, is being directed by British filmmaker Stephen Frears.
The legendary Judi Dench plays Victoria, while Fazal has bagged the role of Karim, the Indian attendant who was sent to Britain as a “gift“ to the British monarchy, but became a confidant and Urdu teacher of the Queen. The movie is set for a 2017 release. Dench wasn't present during the shoot.
Bunty Thakur, Bajrang Dal's city coordinator at the Agra unit, said, “The crew did not have permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to install the statue of Queen Victoria in the park. Even if they had it, we would't have allowed any relic of colonial rule to be installed in Agra, so what if it's for a film shoot. These English people have ruled over us for 200 years“
Narendar Kumar, station officer of Itmad-ud-Daula police station, said, “There was police presence around the shoot area, so nothing major happened. The men, who were creating unnecessary trouble, were asked to leave the premises“ ASI superintending archaeologist, Bhuvan Vikrama, said, “The film crew had proper permission from our New Delhi headquarters for the shoot and installation of the statue.“
The group said no relic of colonial rule would be allowed to be installed in Agra, even if it was for a film. Two years ago the right-wing group had forced the local administration to stop installation of two statues of Queen Victoria at Agra's Paliwal Park. Speaking to TOI, actor Ali Fazal, who is playing Mohammad Abdul Karim, Queen Victoria's Muslim Indian attendant, in the British-American drama, said, “The group was shouting 'Jai Shri Ram' and was creating nuisance around the set.“
According to eyewitnesses, the group barged into the shooting area at around 11.30am, triggering fear among the crew and actors who have been in Agra for four days now to shoot the last leg of the film. The filmmakers immediately draped the statue before things went out of control. The incident happened in spite of the presence of police security. The film, based on a 2010 non-fiction, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant, is being directed by British filmmaker Stephen Frears.
The legendary Judi Dench plays Victoria, while Fazal has bagged the role of Karim, the Indian attendant who was sent to Britain as a “gift“ to the British monarchy, but became a confidant and Urdu teacher of the Queen. The movie is set for a 2017 release. Dench wasn't present during the shoot.
Bunty Thakur, Bajrang Dal's city coordinator at the Agra unit, said, “The crew did not have permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to install the statue of Queen Victoria in the park. Even if they had it, we would't have allowed any relic of colonial rule to be installed in Agra, so what if it's for a film shoot. These English people have ruled over us for 200 years“
Narendar Kumar, station officer of Itmad-ud-Daula police station, said, “There was police presence around the shoot area, so nothing major happened. The men, who were creating unnecessary trouble, were asked to leave the premises“ ASI superintending archaeologist, Bhuvan Vikrama, said, “The film crew had proper permission from our New Delhi headquarters for the shoot and installation of the statue.“
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