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Anurag Kashyap releases statement on FIR against ‘Manmarziyaan’

After members of the Sikh community taking offence to the scene in ‘Manmarziyaan’ that shows Abhishek Bachchan smoking a cigarette, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has finally broken his silence on the controversy.

Bachchan plays Robbie, a Sikh, in the film. The smoking scene has offended many Sikhs, who have slammed Kashyap for showing the community in a poor light, reports News 18.

Kashyap tweeted a long statement on Wednesday, saying, “This film is not commenting on a community, it talks about individuals and their choices. Manmarziyaan is a story of three individuals and not their religion.”
He goes on to explain how his team “asked for guidance from Sikh people every step of the way.”
“When we shot the sequence in gurudwara, we were told we can’t shoot them getting married as it can’t be faked so me made the actors do only ‘mattha tekna’. When we were shooting scenes, no member of crew was allowed to smoke inside the houses.”
Known for portraying on screen life as is, Kashyap further added, “We created what we saw with our own eyes and after discussion. We wanted to show things the way they are. I have always put out things the way they are without an agenda.”
To those demanding that the scene be cut from the film, he said, “Technology does not allow us to cut a scene and it affects the storytelling. So I definitely can not do that now.”
He ended the note with an apology to everyone who he has hurt unintentionally. “I am sorry if anyone feels genuinely hurt but I would also request that please don’t make this unnecessary political because it’s not. To those whose hurt is genuine, I offer a genuine apology, that wasn’t my intention. And for those who are doing it for attention, I am glad you have got the attention.”

‘Manmarziyaan’ is out in cinemas now. Stick with BizAsiaLive.com for more updates.