The film fraternity has criticized after a day the attack took place in Bhopal on the filmmaker Prakash Jha and his crew while they are shooting a scene for the web series named Aashram. On Monday, the film bodies and the film fraternity condemn the incident and make an appeal to the government in order to take some action against such “brazen acts of violence”.
Late on Sunday, the activist’s gang named Bajrang Dal has stormed the set of the series named Aashrama and threw ink at the filmmaker Prakash Jha. They accused him of portraying poor light on Hindus and hurting the Hindu sentiments. The video that has been put on social media about the incident, showcases how the activists have vandalized the set and assaulted one crew with sticks.
On Monday, The Producers Guild of India has posted a statement on Twitter saying that it strongly condemns the “brazen acts of violence, harassment, and vandalism faced by the crew”. It further added, “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident and the Guild is alarmed to note the frequency with which both the production and exhibition sectors are severely and illegally disrupted by various elements with impunity. Content production contributes significantly to local economies, generates employment, and promotes tourism, which is why authorities in India and across the world formulate policies to attract producers to their respective regions.”
The Guild further said that rather than expecting incentives and benefits, the productions units expect a guarantee of safety and security from the authorities for their units. The statement read, “We urge the relevant authorities to take immediate and strict action against the perpetrators of these acts of violence and to bring them to justice”.
In a press statement, The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has made an appeal to the government to take cognizance of the incident and initiate “stringent action” against those involved in the vandalism.
The statement read, “The safety and security of our members are at high risk and increasing day by day due to such incidents and ignorance of the same by the respective authorities. We look for justice. The FWICE is and will always stand strongly with the Producer/Director and their crew members and extends all its required support to eradicate such happenings from the otherwise peaceful Industry”.
Several filmmakers including Hansal Mehta, Sanjay Gupta, and Sudhir Mishra have also criticized the attack.
Mehta tweeted, “Scared silence and continued deference will only empower such hooligans and further such oppression. But who will bell the cat?”
Mishra, commenting on the incident, tweeted: “The industry has to get together otherwise (do I have to state it ). Come on…associations. Stand with your members!”
Pritish Nandy tweeted, “There appears to be no end to these kinds of attacks. It is time the ministry spoke out and reined these guys in. They are running amuck.”
