Following the assault on filmmaker Prakash Jha and the Ashram 3 crew by Bajrang Dal members in Bhopal on Sunday, director Abbas Tyrewala took to Facebook to pen a hard-hitting note on our dwindling democracy. He started by writing, "They are coming for you".
"You think you're on their side? Wait till you do something they think is wrong. Make a show. Make an ad. Sing a song. Wear clothes. Meet a friend. Fall in love. Eat something. Drink something. Smoke something. Pray. Don't pray. Say something. Don't say something. Ask anything. Believe anything. Other than what has been 'sanctioned'", Tyrewala wrote.
He added that with each passing day, the 'rules' of the 'game' will become more and more suffocating. "Not officially, of course. Officially we're still a robust democracy, remember? We all play together and the rules are same for all. But the playground will get smaller and smaller, and the rules more restrictive and suffocating everyday".
The filmmaker further wrote that unless one is part of the 'mob' one's family is always under threat.
"And soon, there will be too many rules to keep track of. Too many to remember. Too many to know; hell, you'll be breaking rules you never knew existed. And many will be made after you've broken them. Read Kafka's 'The Trial' for help. You may not be next. Not yet. But unless you're 'in' the mob, your turn and your family's turn and your children's turn are inevitable. There is only one 'them'. And it's all of us".Abbas Tyrewala, Filmmaker
Tyrewala's post received a lot of support on Twitter.
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