Sad & Shameful: Twitterverse on Amol Palekar’s NGMA Controversy

Several expressed their shock at having to watch a video where the veteran actor was treated with disrespect.

Words of condemnation dominated conversations on Twitter after veteran actor and filmmaker Amol Palekar was constantly interrupted and was abruptly asked to abstain from expressing criticism of India’s Union Ministry of Culture at an exhibition held at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Mumbai on Friday, 8 February.

Keeping Palekar’s contribution in perspective, several spoke out against the treatment meted out to the veteran actor and expressed their shock at having to watch a video where he was treated with disrespect.

‘An Act of Intolerance’

One of the several who expressed shock at the incident mentioned that asking Palekar to not rue the loss of independence in art at NGMA is “an act of intolerance”.

Just got this video of one of my favourite actors, Amol Palekar, being cut off while ruing the loss of independence in art at @mumbai_ngma simply because he seemed critical of a Ministry of Culture/NGMA decision.

This is what #intolerance in the present times is all about. Sad! pic.twitter.com/u8L30qeiz7

— Annu Tandon (@AnnuTandonUnnao) February 9, 2019

Veteran Actor and Film Maker Amol Palekar being rudely cut off and asked to shut up just because he was mildly critical of Ministry of Culture. There is no Intolerance. Only sycophancy is tolerated pic.twitter.com/pFN6rhQ1g9

— Joy (@Joydas) February 9, 2019

No matter who you vote, what happened to Amol Palekar today is most shameful.

Right wingers will give a shit.

And well liberals I have no hopes from, honestly.

But my heart cries. What a gentleman he is. And how rudely that lady spoke.

— richa singh (@richa_singh) February 9, 2019

Is it right to invite a highly regarded person #AmolPalekar at Barve’s exhibition at #NGMA and heckle and humiliate him because he is speaking his mind on the issues affecting NGMA? Isn’t criticism and healthy debates a part of democracy? The art world should speak up.

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) February 10, 2019

Independent journalist and # MeToo activist questioned if this is how a man of Palekar’s stature should be treated.

Is this how a veteran actor and a man of Amol Palekar’s stature treated? That video was difficult to watch.

— Rituparna Chatterjee (@MasalaBai) February 10, 2019

Remember how we used to have MASSIVE debates over FoE being killed?
Where is the intolerance? @AnupamPKher used to mock those complaining.
Now there is no debate, now it's open, brazen, unabashed.
Kar Lo Jo Kar Sakte Ho attitude.
Thanks #AmolPalekar for standing up to this BS🙏 pic.twitter.com/KIqYkPUbtY

— Akash Banerjee (@akashbanerjee) February 10, 2019

So celebrated actor director Amol Palekar is invited to an NGMA event in Mumbai and then stopped from speaking when he seeks to raise his concerns.. Nayantara Sahgal last month, now Amol.. why invite someone and then stop them from speaking their mind? https://t.co/QnXTuDigIv

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) February 10, 2019