Renowned filmmaker Hansal Mehta, known for Shahid and Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, recently took to social media to weigh in on the controversy surrounding comedian Kunal Kamra. In a thought-provoking post, Mehta not only expressed his concerns about the state of free speech in India but also recalled a similar ordeal he faced in 2000.
“This is not something new in Maharashtra,” he wrote, shedding light on how loyalists of a political party stormed his office, vandalized it, physically assaulted him, and even blackened his face. His crime? A single line of dialogue in his film—one that had already been cleared by the Censor Board with 27 other cuts. The situation escalated to a public humiliation event, where he was forced to apologize by falling at the feet of an elderly woman, while Mumbai Police remained silent.
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Reflecting on the experience, Mehta admitted that the incident didn’t just bruise his body but also his spirit, silencing parts of him for years. He emphasized that while disagreements and provocations are inevitable in a democracy, violence, intimidation, and public shaming should never be acceptable.
In an era where creative expression is constantly under scrutiny, Mehta’s words serve as a stark reminder: Do we still have space for dissent and dialogue, or are we letting fear dictate our freedoms?
