State Govt ‘Internally’ Backs Padmaavat Protests: Vishal Bhardwaj

Veteran filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj says that above anything else, the Padmaavat controversy offends him because it renders filmmakers like him unable to express what they feel.

While speaking to The Quint at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2018, Bhardwaj said that the government should take responsibility for its failure to contain the violence over the film that broke out despite both the Supreme Court and the CBFC having cleared it for release.

If the state governments are not able to manage those protesters, they better resign if they can’t maintain law and order. Because they are internally siding with the protestors, that’s why they don’t want to control.

Vishal Bhardwaj, Filmmaker

Alleging that state governments were deliberately washing their hands off the violence, the filmmaker said:

It’s not that people wouldn’t get offended earlier. It’s just that now they are being patronised. Earlier they would be told to go file a case in the court if they were offended, now they just throw stones at the filmmaker with full support from the powers. 

Vishal Bhardwaj, Filmmaker