Before 2014, things were far simpler in India. If the government would go wrong, all sections of society would voice their complaints and anger. The then government run by UPA 2 with Indian National Congress having a lion share of this alliance, used to be perennially at the edge over the mounting criticism. It was the time when numerous scams had come to light, inflation was quite high and hike in the petrol and diesel price had burnt a hole in the pockets of the aam junta. No wonder, all strata of society would be speaking against the government policies. The members of our film industry were also not left behind. Though most of them would not speak about it a lot, they would once in a while speak their mind which would be in sync with the mood of the public.

Then came the BJP rule from May 2014, under the leadership of the dynamic Narendra Modi. Before the elections, Mr Modi and other BJP personalities promised the moon. They assured that the prices of fuel and other essential items would be brought down and with the return of the black money stashed abroad, things would get better in India in the economic front. It’s been four years now and though things have got better in a lot of departments, price hike remains a huge challenge. Recently, the rate of petrol touched Rs 84 and it sent shockwaves throughout the country. The common man began to ask the government about the ‘acche din’ and reduced prices that were promised to them.

Despite such a huge rise in petrol prices, the Bollywood industry has been silent this time on the whole. The ease and fearlessness with which they would write against government’s decision can’t be seen anymore. This led to an embarrassing situation for superstar Akshay Kumar recently when his February 2012 tweet went viral. It read: “Guys, I think it’s time to clean up your bicycles and hit the road! As per sources, expecting another petrol price hike”. The netizens began asking why the superstar is no longer making such amusing but thought-provoking tweets since the petrol prices have hit the roof again. The criticism was mounting to such a level that Akshay decided to delete this tweet. He hoped this would save him from accusations of double standards. Sadly, that’s not the case as his tweet has got screenshot and has also been archived. There’s one more tweet of Akshay Kumar mocking the fuel price rise that’s still available. The deleting of the 2012 tweet got him even more criticism and hence that’s why he has probably chosen to retain this other tweet, as of now.

Couldn't even get to my house at nite for all of Mumbai was queuing up for #petrol before the prices rocketed again.

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 16, 2011

T 753 -Petrol up Rs 7.5 : Pump attendent - 'Kitne ka daloon ?' ! Mumbaikar - '2-4 rupye ka car ke upar spray kar de bhai, jalana hai !!'

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) May 24, 2012

Just like Akshay Kumar, even Amitabh Bachchan has made some interesting jokes on petrol price, in the pre-Modi era. Then there were others like Ashoke Pandit, Anupam Kher etc who too had dissed the Congress for hurting the common man with their rise in prices. Both of them have made it clear many times that they have a lot of soft corner for BJP and Narendra Modi. Hence, they can’t be expected to now write about fuel rise now and thereby hurt their idol. But what has prompted Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar to go mum now?

The answer is simple. In today’s times, criticizing the BJP government and Modi is akin to criticizing the country. The BJP troll army is huge, shameless and are ready to go to any lengths while attacking their ‘prey’. Most of them are faceless and fake ids but still when a planned troll attack is done from thousands of such troll twitter and Facebook handles, it can easily give a shiver down the spine of these celebrities. Aamir Khan knows it very well. His famous intolerance speech in November 2015 became a talking point. He was criticized left, right and centre like never before. In the same month, Shah Rukh Khan was also mercilessly targeted for his views on the political and communal climate in India. Aamir in fact had participated in Anna Hazare's movement in 2011 which was also against the then Congress rule. Can you imagine Aamir attempting something similar in today's times?



These nameless, faceless trolls don’t simply post negative comments. They go a step further – they’ll spread fake news about that particular actor. Their families won’t be spared either. Recently, when Swara Bhasker held a placard to protest against the gruesome Kathua rape, she faced criticism of another level. A photoshopped tweet was put out that stated that Swara protested against the Kathua for publicity and money. Also, last month, journalist Rana Ayyub, a fierce critic of Narendra Modi, had the most traumatizing experience of her life when photoshopped tweets was put that made people believe that she has made anti-India comments. Moreover, her phone number was leaked and a pornographic video was widely shaped where her face was morphed onto another woman.

So how exactly is BJP responsible for the wrongdoings of these trolls? Well, the problem is that it’s an open secret that all these slut-shaming campaigns have the backing of the BJP leaders. Many of them, for instance, shared Rana Ayyub’s fake tweets and refused to delete despite hunderds of twitter users explaining to them that it’s fake. Many people who regularly troll are followed on Twitter by none other than Narendra Modi himself. This gives them an added boost to target the critics of the government. Moreover, it has increasingly come to light that the BJP IT Cell is actively perpetrating such campaigns against celebrities to ‘teach them a lesson’.

In such a scenario, it is understandable that Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and other celebrities are quite scared and would think thousand times before saying anything remotely against BJP. After all, they don’t want their Twitter notifications to be filled with hate-filled messages. They don’t want rape threats for the women in their families or their numbers getting leaked or worse of all, their morphed porn videos getting circulated. They don’t want ignorant public sharing their ‘I hate India and Indians’ photoshopped tweets and be seen as traitors and anti-nationals. All this can lead to extreme psychological trauma and break even the toughest of people. Also, the industry has seen how Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan were tortured. Even the recent agitations against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period film Padmaavat was possible because of the BJP government’s inaction which indirectly motivated the protestors to go all out, even attacking a school bus full of scared children. As a result, it is completely understandable the silence of our Bollywood stars.

Ironically, in the West, it’s US President Donald Trump who has come to power owing to his right-wing views and for promising lots and lots of stuffs. And even he’s unable to perform well but the Hollywood film fraternity is not scared. They openly mock and criticise him and his policies. Even during the Academy Awards, he was the butt of many jokes. Some of the biggest stars like Meryl Streep has made it clear that he’s unjustified with his viewpoints. But then, Trump’s troll army is not as brazen and shameless like the BJP troll groups. Right now, in Bollywood, it’s only the not-that-famous celebrities like Swara Bhasker, Vishal Dadlani, Prakash Raj, Pooja Bhatt, Shruti Seth etc attacking the government. They are not that huge and can take the risk. But Akshay Kumar can’t. As mentioned above, it’ll lead to personal trauma. Also, what if the protestors come to the streets and try to stop the release of his film? Crores of money is at stake when the film’s release is due and such protests can hurt everyone involved with the film, not just the actor in question.

But how long will this go? Slowly and steadily, these tactics of the troll army won’t work with the same intensity. Already, one can see around that more and more people are trying to verify fake messages that they receive on WhatsApp and social media. Fact-checking websites have mushroomed and are doing great job in instantly alerting people about fake news being spread by the troll army. Cyber-crime laws are strong and if celebrities take action against the mischief mongers, it can lead to a fear among these criminals. Hopefully that time will come soon and we shall once again get to see our celebrities without much fear rightfully criticising the government!

Says only association with a political party was with friend Bindumadhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena
Manishaa R (DNA; January 18, 2017)

Jackie Shroff recently made headlines when it was reported that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had chosen him along with Arjun Rampal as a star campaigner for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. It was also reported that he was likely to head to Delhi to meet the party’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya. He is officially denying these developments now.

He says, “I have been receiving hundreds of calls since the past few days about this. I would like to clarify that I haven’t been approached by any political party nor do I have any political ambitions.”

The actor says that he has had no political leanings in his 30-year old film career nor has he ever articulated his views on political development. However, political parties continue to perceive him as ideal star material t for political rallies, “I’ve been approached several times, but I had to refuse them all with a polite thank-you. They should know that I am simply not cut out for politics nor am I educated in political science. I don’t think I am competent enough to lead the masses ideologically in a certain direction,” he says.

He feels more comfortable promoting a social initiative, “More than politics, I would be ever-willing to spearhead a social cause, as long as it is done with genuine intentions. I have worked for the welfare of orphans, destitute children, thalassemia patients and children of sex workers in the past and I would be happy to take my social interests further. But politics is definitely not my cup of tea,” he says.

That reminds him of the only other exception when he chose to associate with a political party, the Shiv Sena several years ago, due to his proximity with one of the party’s erstwhile leaders, the late Bindumadhav Thackeray, son of late Balasaheb Thackeray, “Bindu baba was a close friend, he was very close to me and that was an exception to the rule but that was a chapter in the past. I would like to use my stature only for to reach out to the socially deprived,” he says.

The actors are likely to campaign for the party in the upcoming Assembly elections
BOMBAY TIMES (January 11, 2017)

MUMBAI MIRROR (December 27, 2016)

Distances himself from Mustak Ahmed (son of Abdul Latif), who has now sent Khan a legal notice and made monetary demands
Subhash K Jha (DNA; November 14, 2016)

When he started shooting for Raees, Shah Rukh Khan visited Gujarat at least twice to meet Mustak Ahmed Abdul Latif Shaikh at the latter’s invitation. This was done to enable SRK to understand his Raees character Abdul Latif (also Mustak’s father).

Says a source, “At the outset, Raees was being made with Mustak’s active involvement. He provided inputs and kept track of the shooting to ensure the film was going smoothly.”

Thereafter, it came to light that the entire Latif family was very close to the ruling BJP government. Says the source, “When Shah Rukh realised his meetings with Latif were being given political overtones, he decided to keep a distance. When Mustak invited Shah Rukh again, the actor didn’t respond. This incensed Mustak who felt affronted by the star’s snub and decided to dissociate from the project.” Now it is learnt that Mustak has asked for a huge amount money (rumoured to be Rs 10 crores) to allow the film’s release.

However, a source from the production says, “SRK is away, shooting for The Ring and thereafter, will be tied up, promoting Dear Zindagi. He’s extremely busy and therefore, unavailable.”

The inspiration
In Raees, Shah Rukh Khan plays a character apparently inspired by Abdul Latif, an alleged gangster who ran the illicit liquor business in Gujarat during the peak of Prohibition in the 1990s. Allegedly, Latif had over 40 murder cases filed against him.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 22, 2016)

Navjot Singh Sidhu is in the news for resigning as a Rajya Sabha member and possibly, also quitting the BJP (there is no official confirmation). But that’s not the only role that Sidhu has said goodbye to.

He may soon have to quit The Kapil Sharma Show, where he has been a prominent fixture, since the show’s inception (in its former avatar as well), three years ago.

A reliable source from the channel informs, “There’s a lot of pressure on Sidhu Paaji to quit our show. If it’s true that has quit the BJP for the AAP. We’ve heard that Paaji has been instructed to stop participating in the comedy show, as he needs to revamp his image.”

Shatrughan Sinha speaks up in the aftermath of the BJP’s failure in Bihar
Subhash K Jha (DNA; November 16, 2015)


Your party’s defeat in Bihar has raised the question as to why you did not campaign in Bihar before elections?
I want to ask them this myself. I am an MP from Patna with a record margin of victory in the Lok Sabha elections. I am known as ‘Bihari Babu’. Yet I was not asked to campaign. I nonetheless swallowed my self-respect and on my own initiative, gave my party dates on October 6, 7 and 8 and again on the 24th, 25th and the 26th. My party’s high command accepted my offer and even expressed happiness at my offer.

What happened next?
Nothing! They didn’t get back to me with any of the logistics, how I’d travel, where I’d go, stay, etc. All my dates went to waste. They didn’t put my face or name in any of the election campaigns hoarding posters.

Leaving you out in Bihar was absurd...
I could see things were not going well. When Nitish Babu (Kumar) and Laluji (Yadav) joined hands, I knew there was trouble ahead for our party. But these people refused to see the writing on the wall. They were like, Hum toh doobe hain sanam, tumhe bhi le doobenge (I am drowning and I’ll make sure you drown, too.)

A BJP colleague called you a dog...
Do I stoop to their level? I tweeted saying, ‘Haathi chale Bihar, dot-dot-dot bhaunke hazaar.’ These are people I helped get votes during the Lok Sabha elections.

Maybe they feel the Prime Minister would be pleased if they abuse you?
Yes, this is the culture of sycophancy. The jee-huzoori culture. After such a humiliating defeat, they’re wasting time calling me names.

Your mentor LK Advani has also spoken up against BJP high command?
About time they paid attention to the voice of reason. I don’t want to say anything negative during Diwali when we should all be thinking spiritual thoughts.

You’ve met Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar after the election results. Does it mean you are joining them?
I will say till my last breath that I am a soldier of the BJP. I met them in a healthy spirit of appreciation and sportsmanship.

Since when has politics become healthy in our country?
I believe in it. Honesty and transparency are my guiding principles in politics. As an MP from Patna, it was only proper protocol that I meet my colleagues who have won. Such positive politicking was practiced by my idols like Jaiprakash Narain, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani. I believe my political opponents are not my enemies.

That’s way too idealistic?
Maybe I am being unrealistic. But I don’t see Nitish Babu or Laluji as my enemies. They are part of the same family. Even Narendra Modiji has congratulated them. If I embraced them and congratulated them, why is that being seen as a sign of my crossing over?

Asking again, is there a chance of you joining hands with Nitish Kumar?
Look, every action has an equal reaction. So far, the BJP is my first and last party. I am not going anywhere, unless they take action against me.

Dibakar Banerjee is set to return the national award for his first film, Khosla Ka Ghosla, in solidarity with FTII students and to protest rising intolerance. The filmmaker tells Anahita Mukherji that his decision is not politically motivated and that the country needs the BJP as a viable and successful national alternative in order to function as a democracy
Anahita Mukherji (THE TIMES OF INDIA; November 1, 2015)

Aaron Pereira (THE INDIAN EXPRESS; August 19, 2015)

On Tuesday night, the Pune Police cracked down on protesting students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and arrested dozens of students for gheraoing the institute’s director Prashant Pathrabe over the ‘assessment’ process of projects pending since 2008. Speaking to The IndianExpress.com, veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal condemned the police action saying students were not criminals, and that both, the administration and the protesting students, need to sit down and resolve the crisis. Benegal also said that if given the opportunity, he would consider heading the institute for a third time. Excerpts of the interview:

What’s your reaction to the Pune Police swooping down on protesting students in the middle of the night?
This is the worst thing that could have happened. The worst thing. This is something we have been preventing for a long time, even when I was chairman. Twice I was chairman, there were strikes but we never ever even once invited the police into the campus. And I believe that whatever problems the institution might have between the powers that be and the students, I don’t believe a third-party is necessary there at all.

According to me, that vitiates the atmosphere forever. In an educational institution, there’s a Laxman Rekha there. You don’t allow a third-party (police) to come in. You should be able to solve the problems between the institute and those who are fighting against it. This is ridiculous. It has never happened before and I am absolutely shocked at the fact that the police were invited into the institution to take students into custody.

Is it now taking a political turn? Rahul Gandhi has met with the students, Arvind Kejriwal has offered students a temporary location in Delhi…
Whatever that might be, the fact is that first of all, I think it was a mistake in the first place for students to go inviting people from various political parties. I think that was a mistake in the first place. It’s a very ordinary problem. The problem is that they have disagreed with the person (Gajendra Chauhan) who has been chosen as chairman as they feel the person does not have credentials for the job. This is fine. Now the fact is credentials ultimately mean you’ve got a doctorate or you don’t have a doctorate. Ultimately, that is not of real consequence. Capability is something that is of consequence.

Now, if you’re not sure of a person’s credentials, at least be sure about his capability. And in order to do that, the students simply have to invite him, grill him, satisfy yourself whether the man is capable or not. Then go on a strike if you want to and believe he’s not. But all this has not been done. They went on strike straight on. That is the last option. In any student’s armory your final card is a strike. You shouldn’t use the word strike like it’s an ordinary thing. Only after you’ve exhausted all your other options (you should go on a strike). Because, it will end in a way that it has now ended, which is unfortunate… for the institution. Because a third party has walked into it and it has become a law and order problem. There was no need for any of this. Student’s are not criminals. I still can’t understand why it had to go this extent.

What do you see is the way out for the students and administration to end the logjam?
Well the option before them is that the administration and the students should sit and talk to each other. Invite the chairman-designate. That is the best way to deal with it. You have to worry about capability, not credentials. There are people who are very capable but who may not necessarily have the kind of credentials on paper. Also, he’s not somebody who’s going to be teaching you. He’s a chairman who’s there on the level of policy. As a chairman of the society, he has to see that it works well because the society is autonomous and although it depends on the government for money, the government does not interfere with its working.

But what about his close links with the BJP?
I can have close links with anybody. Why should that be a negative factor against me? I have every right to have a political view point as long as it’s not a view point that goes against the Constitution of the country. That’s the final boundary. You don’t cross that. People stand for elections, I can adhere to any political party. Nobody can stop me from doing that. Why should that come in the way? If you’re going to say ‘he’s going to push that ideology down my throat’, you are there, no? Why are you there? He has not done that yet. He hasn’t even taken up charge yet. There’s enough time for you to check out if he will move in that direction. In any case, as I said, as students, you have an interface with the director. You are there everyday.

But the faculty has backed the students in their protest
The fact is the faculty will support the students because they have to deal with them everyday of their lives. So the faculty will have a sympathy with the students. I can understand that. But the faculty also has a place in the governing council, where they can put forward these views. They just pushed themselves into opposite corners to which now there is no middle ground left. And if there’s no middle ground left, then this is what will happen. The police will walk in. I personally feel this is very unfortunate as I don’t think the acting-director should have invited the police.

But the students gheraoed the director…
I was gheraoed too. When I was the chairman for the first time, I was gheraoed not just for two-three hours. I was gheraoed for the entire night. I called for a meeting the next day and said I want to meet the entire student body and not just the union. And when that happened, we solved the problem. It just meant that I lost my night’s sleep! Ultimately, it’s an educational institution… student’s have come there to study. They are not enemies. The administration should not take them to be enemies. The students too should not take the administration as enemies. They are supposed to be working together.

What about students who are yet to complete their projects, pending since 2008? The administration has sent them notices asking that they vacate the premises.
To vacate the premises will happen only when they go on strike like this for two months. But this is something that I have never understood. Why should projects that students took up in 2008 are not yet completed? Somebody has got to examine that. I wouldn’t know why. I blame both, the students for not completing their projects and the institution for not seeing to it that they do. I don’t know if there were shortcomings on the part of the institution. I haven’t been part of it for a long time. But that is one of the most unfortunate things that can happen. It’s 2015 and we’re talking about students who have incomplete work since 2008. Nothing can be more shocking than that.

You were among those that the government was considering to head the institution. Were you informed about it?
I haven’t been informed about it. But let me put it to you in another way. I have headed the institution twice already. And now it’s been about 25 years since I finished my second stint. Now, the fact is I’m 80 years old. It’s not normal for someone who is 80 to be made chairman of an institution that’s funded by the government. Nobody has approached me, but it’s possible that I may accept it. The only thing people can do at my age is to join politics!

Are you open to joining politics?
(Laughs) I am only joking. I’m just saying that there’s no age limit for one to turn into a politician.

But if asked to head the institution, perhaps in a larger role as an advisory role, would you accept?
Yes of course, why not? I am a professional film maker. All my working life I have been a working filmmaker. Now obviously If I don’t take interest in film education, who else would? It’s a commitment I’ve made for life. Of course If anyone wants an opinion from me or views they consider worthwhile, then certainly I am available. I’ve never said no to anyone. But my only concern is that the institution, both the administration and the students have both been extremely pig headed and they’ve pushed themselves into a situation where they’ve left no middle ground. Where they can come and talk to one another as they should. If exercises that should have been done in 2008 have remained incomplete then there’s something seriously wrong. Don’t you agree? This is absurd.

Would you be open to being a mediator and help resolve this crisis?
What I would like to do is find out more about the problem and see if there’s any solution that is acceptable to both sides. I have a feeling the ministry itself is sitting in Delhi. They’re not sitting in Poona. The kind of information they may get is also probably not absolutely accurate. We don’t know, sitting in Bombay, what’s happening in Poona.

What in your opinion can the students and administration do to end the crisis?
The police coming in was very bad. I think it shouldn’t be allowed at all. I don’t think students should be put in lock-ups. They should be sent back promptly. They are not criminals, they are students. That is not the way to handle the issue. Unless, of course, the students threatened someone or have beaten up someone belonging to the administration. I would like the administration to extend a hand to the students. You can’t sit on a high horse. Unless if you want to close down the institution which they have every power to do. Which would be a great loss although we have many film institutions in the country today. I think FTII has a special place because it is a tried and tested system in cinema and television.

Shatrughan Sinha brushes off rumours that he’s quitting his party to join Nitish Kumar’s
Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 29, 2015)


Soul-searching, anyone?
Sinha has even been accused in the press of ‘cheating on the BJP’. Shotgun shoots back, “Cheating on the BJP? I am not married to the party. I am its loyal soldier. Zara si baat ka afsana bana dete hain log.… If some of my party members are confused, then let them be. Maybe it’s time for some soul-searching within my party.” Of his policies of co-existence Shatru says, “I believe in keeping politics and social equations away from one another... the fight is ideological, not personal.”

Emotional bond
As for meeting Bihar’s CM, Shatru concedes, “I did meet Nitish when I was in Patna last week. But I’ve been meeting him almost every time when I’ve been in Patna. There is an emotional bond between us independent of political affiliations. We have to meet over a cup of tea. Yes, there was a radical departure from protocol when we met this time. We had coffee instead of tea.”

Last word
Sinha has a question for the disgruntled elements who disapprove of his personal equation with Kumar. “If this is the way they’re treating me, why do they have so many expectations from me? If you’re going to insult, humiliate and snub me, I’ve my supporters, voters and well-wishers. Aapko jo karna hai aap karo, mujhe jo karna main karunga.”

Shatrughan Sinha holds forth on the crises within the BJP
Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 7, 2015)


While BJP’s prominent leaders are embroiled in unsavoury controversies, you are uncharacteristically quiet about the corruption charges against Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje?
Yes, people are wondering why the one who has always commanded others to remain khamosh is khamosh himself today. There seems to be some sort of a dark cloud passing over the party. Whether our party is in a crisis or a Catch-22 situation, only time will tell. Nazar lag gayi hai hamare party ko. The thirteenth month of our party in power hasn’t proved lucky for us. Even my dear friend Hema Malini was involved in a road accident.

She too seems to have offended some by not helping the child who died?
Tell me something. When such a terrible accident happens doesn’t the victim go in a daze? Hema may be the most beautiful woman in the world. But during a crisis of this gravity, she is a human being. She was so numbed by the impact of the accident she hardly knew what was happening. Those who are criticising her for the tragic death of the child in the accident don’t know what a beautiful soul she is. If her mind was working at that traumatic time, she would’ve done everything within her power to help the child.

Coming back to the other beleaguered ladies in your party, what do you think went wrong ?
I had decided not to say anything as this involves a dear friend Mrs Sushma Swaraj. But if you insist, all I’d like to say is those accused of wrongdoing must prove their innocence immediately.

Shouldn’t Mrs Swaraj and Mrs Raje resign before they prove their innocence?
That’s what I’d have done. My mentor, guide, friend and philosopher within the party is L K Advani. That’s what he did when false allegations were levelled at him. He not only resigned he vowed not to enter Parliament until he got a clean chit. I’ve learnt from Mr Advani that though honesty and transparency seldom go together, they must do so.

Are you a BJP or an L K Advani loyalist?
As long as he has been with me I’ve never bothered with how the High Command has treated me. I didn’t even react when I was provoked as to why I was never given a cabinet rank. Miley na miley sab theek hai. This is what I’ve learnt from Mr Advani. He’s always taught me to set a good example, to be a role model and not to follow the example of others Being a role model isn’t easy.

Are you saying the accused should step down?
That’s what had happened with Lal Bahadur Shastri as well. Having said that, I want to reiterate I am a loyal and supportive soldier of the party. I am dismayed by the allegations, especially against Sushma Swaraj who I consider a very dear friend. I hold both Sushma and her husband in very high regard. They are both mature, sharp individuals. I don’t know whether the allegations are substantiated or not. My speaking about it would not be proper. Speaking on an emotional level, this is a matter pertaining to office of profit. On a professional level, it involves a conflict of interest.

If your friend Mrs Swaraj is innocent, why is she not coming forward with evidence of her innocence?
One does wonder sometimes. If her conscience is clear, it’s high time she came out boldly and beautifully with the truth.

Has the high command consulted you on the crisis?
That’s the problem. No, I’ve not been consulted. Forget about high command, I wasn’t even invited to the function for the President of the BJP at Patna. And I’m supposed to be the Bihari Babu.

Fear of being overshadowed?
Maybe they feel they never gave me my due or recognition so they do not have the right to take my advice. I’ve no demand no command and no expectation. But I’d like to tell the high command to bring to the front of the party those party members who are close to the grassroots and those who have a clean image within and outside the party.

What do you have to say about Pahlaj Nihalani’s chairmanship of the Censor Board?
Finally, there’s a chairperson who is doing everything correctly. Look at how liberally the so-called progressive filmmakers used cusswords in our films. If he’s cleaning that out, he is doing our society a good turn. Look at the language of Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Mohalla Assi being used by the Gods in the city of the Gods, Varanasi. Shame!

You’ve always stood by your friends in the BJP and the film industry. But do you have to say about women in your party being embroiled in controversies?
Finally, women have proved themselves equal to men, if not more equal.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; February 13, 2015)


“I wish some of my party members who have been ignoring the experienced elder members of our party (he means LK Advani, Yashwant Sinha, Murli Manohar Joshi) would wake up to the call. I tried to warn my party members about the danger ahead. But I was told to shut up since being an actor I, apparently, didn’t understand politics. I hope those in my party, who understand politics, would now have an explanation for what had happened in Delhi,” said Sinha hours after the BJP’s defeat in Delhi.

Apparently, many prominent BJP members and supporters were appalled when Kiran Bedi’s name was finalised for chief ministerial candidate. “Experience and wisdom go hand-in-hand. To ignore both is a folly,” he says.

The American media has been mocking prime minister Narendra Modi’s elitist expensive-suit politics as opposed to Arvind Kejriwal’s populist cheap-muffler politics. “I cannot comment on this. Suffice to say for now that Kejriwal has displayed chaal, charitra, chehra, chintan in the best possible light, and he has won the hearts of the Delhi electorate. This is a warning for us. We cannot afford another setback like Delhi,” he says.

For the uninitiated ‘chaal charitra chehra chintan’ was used as a slogan by the BJP to win the Lok Sabha elections.

When asked to comment on his chances of sorting out the mess in Bihar’s politics caused by the ongoing tussle for power between Nitish Kumar and Jitan Ram Manjhi, Sinha quips, “I’ve always been a party soldier. I will continue to be the same. I am there to serve the party in any capacity.”

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; October 11, 2014)

Ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Jammu and Kashmir border have found a resonance in Bollywood with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) warning filmmakers and production houses against working with Pakistani artistes.

The saffron brigade has also threatened to block the release of YRF’s upcoming film, Kill Dil, which stars Pakistani actor, Ali Zafar, alongside Govinda, Ranveer Singh and Parineeti Chopra.

Says a source, “BJP’s Mumbai wing has decided to oppose the release of the film. The party will also stage protests against Pakistani actors currently working in Bollywood films. They feels that Pakistani artistes should not be allowed to work in our film industry as our country has great talent. There is no need to look across the border.” The source pointed out that several Pakistani actors have forayed into Bollywood in recent times — Fawad Khan, Imran Abbas and Humaima Malik, to name a few. “They earn here but pay taxes in Pakistan. Now their country is attacking us. India has provided work to many Pakistani artistes over the years, but given the recent developments, we need to ponder over it.”

Sanjay Upadhyay, vice-president, BJP, Mumbai unit, said that they would protest against the release of Kill Dil as it features a Pakistani face. “After the state assembly elections, we will be launching a stir because whatever is happening at the border is shocking. Our film industry provides employment to so many people from Pakistan but do they give our actors an opportunity in their films? The producers and directors need to understand that we have ample talent in the country. Instead of scouting for Pakistani artistes, they should give Indian talent a chance,” he said, adding that they would oppose tooth and nail any filmmaker or production house giving work to Pakistani actors and singers. “We will ensure that this practice stops. They need to respect our country,” Upadhyay added.

Producer Ramesh Taurani said the party’s suggestion could be considered for future projects but not those which are awaiting release. “We understand their sentiments but when a film has already been shot and the release runs into such troubles, it is the loss of the producer, who is as Indian as them,” said Taurani.

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; April 18, 2014)

Anurag Kashyap’s movie Gulaal (2009), which was set against a political backdrop, featured a song called ‘Aarambh’. It seems that the song is being used by Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) supporters for their prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi. According to a source, the video of the song, featuring Modi has also been uploaded on YouTube.

Anurag, who had directed the movie, was initially surprised. He decided to check with the music company if they have given rights to the party. However, when he found out that no rights have been bought by BJP, the filmmaker contacted Bhushan Kumar, whose company T-Series had the music rights, to voice his displeasure. “Anurag asked if I had given the rights to BJP, to which I said no. I have the music rights, the producer holds the official rights of the song, and only he can sell it.” When contacted, Ajay Rai, the producer of Gulaal, said that he wasn’t aware about it.

When mid-day contacted Anurag to ask if he was looking to take any legal action against the party, he said, “Of course, we are not happy with them using the song. It is written and sung by Piyush Mishra and neither him, nor I endorse BJP’s Hindutva ideology, whatever it is camouflaged in. Piyush is a person, a voice of people’s movement. It is his prerogative who he allows to use his voice. Just because they are who they are, they cannot bully his rights and use the song without his permission, that too illegally.”

Niranjan Shetty, BJP spokesperson of Mumbai, said, “I am not aware about the song. I will check with the party and if there is anything wrong, we will rectify it.”