Anubhav Sinha reacts to threats from Karni Sena over ‘Article 15’ release

In the weeks since the trailer of ‘Article 15’ – showcasing Ayushmann Khurrana as a cop investigating a murder case that has its roots in caste divide – was launched, director Anubhav Sinha has found himself courting controversy.

After the fringe outfit Parshuram Sena alleged that the film shows Brahmins in poor light, there have been reports of Sinha’s effigies being burnt outside theatres in a bid to dissuade them from releasing the movie. In the latest development, Karni Sena too has threatened to stall the drama’s release.

“Why would I make an anti-Brahmin film? People are smart enough to know that there were enough and more Brahmins associated with the making of the film to know [that it doesn’t showcase them in bad light],” says the director, whose last release ‘Mulk’ (2018) bravely shone a spotlight on the discrimination against Muslims in the country, reports Mid Day.

Sinha is appalled that the Karni Sena — that had challenged the release of ‘Padmaavat’ (2018) last year — and the like have complete disregard for the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) decisions.

“The CBFC is an autonomous government body, which has cleared the film with a U/A certificate. It’s time people respected such institutions.” The Board, he suggests, can play a vital role in ensuring smooth release of films. “The CBFC should report this to the Home Ministry to curb such protests. [People] can disagree, but such overt threats must stop, once and for all. Filmmakers can’t be constantly bullied.” Despite the threats, Sinha doesn’t intend to seek police intervention immediately. “The threats are in public domain. Whenever the police thinks it should intervene, it will.”

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