Mumbai: Noted filmmaker and actor Anurag Kashyap had to apologise for a repulsive comment that he made about Brahmins amid the ongoing controversy over the film ‘Phule’, starring Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa.
“No action or speech is worth your daughter, family, or friends,” Kashyap wrote in a note on Instagram on Friday.
Earlier in the day, he faced severe backlash for saying he would “urinate” on Brahmins.
“This is my apology, not for my post, but for that one line taken out of context and the brewing hatred. No action or speech is worth your daughter, family, friends and colleagues getting rape and death threats from the kingpins of sanskar. So, what has been said cannot be taken back — and I won’t take it back. But if you want to abuse someone, direct it at me. My family has neither said anything nor do they ever speak out,” he wrote.
“So, if it’s an apology you’re looking for, then this is my apology. Brahmins, please spare the women — even the scriptures teach this much decency, not just Manusmriti. Decide for yourselves what kind of Brahmins you truly are. As for me, I offer my apology,” Kashyap added.
The controversy, triggered by protests over ‘Phule’, stems from a social media user’s comment which read: “Brahmins tumhare baap hain. Jitna tumhari unse sulgegi utna tumhari sulgaayenge (Brahmins are your fathers. The more you mess with them, the more they will burn you).”
To this, Kashyap replied, “Brahmin pe main mootoonga.. koi problem? (I will urinate on Brahmins… any problem?)”.
‘Phule’, a biopic tracing the revolutionary work of the Phule couple in challenging caste and gender inequality in 19th-century India, met with multiple protests. The Akhil Bhartiya Brahmin Samaj and Parshuram Aarthik Vikas Mahamandal are among the organisations which objected to the content of the Ananth Mahadevan-directed film. Modifications to the film were suggested by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which the makers have agreed to.
Originally scheduled to be released on April 11, the makers decided to postpone the film, which will now hit theatres on April 25.
