Arshad Warsi is swamped with emotions. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative to curb black money has made him hopeful for a better future, it also seems to have touched a raw nerve. The actor barraged the Prime Minister through a series of tweets, requesting him to look into changing the redundant, dated laws that make honest citizens bear the brunt because of those who indulge in dubious activities. One of his tweets read, “@narendramodi Sir, you have effectively eradicated black money. Please also change dated laws & work on increasing the number of taxpayers.“

Arshad says that his plea stems from a personal incident that disturbed him deeply. He explains, “About eight months ago, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the government froze my account. I was told to pay Rs 50 lakh if I wanted to recover my account. They cited that the action was taken because of a past incident. The fees I was paid by a film producer via cheque came from a fraudulent account, so I was told to give that money to the EOW. I thought there was a mistake, as I pay taxes anyway and since it came by cheque, it was no black money. If I wanted to, I could have taken my fees in cash to evade taxes. How am I supposed to know if the person paying me has a fraudulent account? How is it my job? You allowed him to do business. Sadly, that's what the law says. It pinches when you get punished for being honest. I wanted to fight this, but let it go because I am a simple guy and I'd rather spend time with my family than keep going to court.“

What angers the actor the most is the irony of the situation. He elaborates, “I am one of those actors, who gets paid in cheque. Perhaps, that is why I am not as rich. Those who actually indulge in malpractices, get away. I had to take a loan to pay my tax! It's difficult to survive when you are doing the right thing. All I want is PM Modi to understand my point of view.“ Eventually, Arshad had no option but to pay the huge penalty, as he was slapped with legal notices.

The actor feels his tweets may have been misinterpreted. “Most leaders have the capability, but Modiji has the guts to take decisions,“ he says, adding, “Someone had to stop this racket. I'm glad he is working towards it. I also hope every citizen pays taxes so that no particular section of the society is burdened. There's a perception that Bollywood actors ke paas bahut paisa hai. But not every film works and not all are big-budget films.“