The Producers Guild of India, Swara Bhasker and other celebrities have condemned the attack on filmmaker Prakash Jha and the Ashram 3 crew by Bajrang Dal members. On Sunday, Bajrang Dal workers went on a rampage on the set in Bhopal, smearing ink on Jha and attacking the show's team.
In its statement the Producers Guild wrote, "The Producers Guild of India strongly condemns the brazen acts of violence, harassment and vandalism faced by the crew involved in the production of the series Ashram in Bhopal. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident and the Guild is alarmed to note the frequency with which the production and exhibition sectors are severely and illegally disrupted by various elements with impunity".
The Guild further urged the relevant authorities to take action against the perpetrators.
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) also echoed similar concerns. Their statement read, "The attack on sets of web series Ashram in Bhopal and the threats and abuses passed on to the Producer/Director Prakash Jha and the cast and crew members of the said series is strongly condemned by the FWICE. On behalf of all the workers, technicians and the actors we wish to appeal the Government to take cognizance of the incident and initiate stringent action against all those involved into this vandalism. The safety and security of our members is 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".
'Shocking, Shameful': Celebrities React to the Vandalism
Actor Swara Bhasker took to Twitter to express her shock at the incident. "Shocking, shameful and utterly believable! No one is safe in #NewIndia .. The culture of rampant impunity to lynch mobs has brought us to a point where anyone can be attacked anytime for anything! Surreal & horrifying", she wrote.
Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra tweeted, "What ? This is terrible . The industry has to get together otherwise … (do I have to state it ) . Come on , “Associations “ . Stand with your members !"
Here are some more reactions from the industry:
'Assault on Hinduism': Bajrang Dal on 'Ashram'
The Bajrang Dal members alleged that Ashram, starring Bobby Deol in the lead, was an 'assault' on Hinduism, and threatened that they will not allow the show to be filmed till the title was changed. Bajrang Dal leader Sushil Sudeley was caught on camera saying, "In Ashram, Prakash Jha showed that the guru was abusing women. Can he dare make such a film on a church or madrasa? So far, we have just blackened Prakash Jha's face. We are looking for Bobby Deol. He should learn something from Sunny Deol. He has made such patriotic movies".
Though Jha hasn't filed a complaint regarding this, the police said that action will be taken against those involved in the incident.
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