Maha govt to give security to Madhur after Congress protest
Maharashtra government has announced that it will provide security to filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar. This comes after Congress workers in Pune recently disrupted the promotions of Madhur's upcoming film 'Indu Sarkar', which is based on the 1975 Emergency. The filmmaker had tweeted that he and his team were "stranded like hostages" in the room after Congress workers "barged in" the hotel.
The government of Maharashtra on Monday announced it would provide appropriate security to filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar in the wake of the criticism he has attracted for making his latest movie ?Indu Sarkar?.The security has been provided after a scheduled press conference of Bhandarkar in Nagpur was cancelled when Congress activists did not allow him to come out of his hotel. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1975-77 Emergency and apparently has characters inspired by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi.According to media reports, Bhandarkar was put up at hotel in Nagpur on Sunday.  His press conference was scheduled to be held at the Port O? Gomez restaurant in Gandhi Nagar at 11.30am, but around 50 Congress workers, led by city president Vikas Thakre, gathered in front of the hotel and started raising slogans against the filmmaker and the movie.In Nagpur today for #InduSarkar promotions. Looking for some gr8 media interactions in the heart of India.@iamkirtikulhari @InduSarkarMovie? Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) July 16, 2017Sensing trouble, Bhandarkar cancelled his press conference at 11.15am His personal staff passed on the message to journalists gathered at Port O? Gomez.Around 10 to 12 workers were also present at the press conference venue but they did not do anything as Bhandarkar did not turn up. Read more: I will not show Indu Sarkar to anybody before release: Madhur BhandarkarBhandarkar on his part tweeted another post to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, saying, ?Dear @OfficeOfRG after Pune I have 2 cancel today?s PressCon at Nagpur.Do you approve this hooliganism? Can I have my Freedom of Expression?Dear @OfficeOfRG after Pune I have 2 cancel today's PressCon at Nagpur.Do you approve this hooliganism? Can I have my Freedom of Expression? pic.twitter.com/y44DXiOOgp? Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) July 16, 2017Bhandarkar had to cancel the promotional activity of ?Indu Sarkar? in Pune on Saturday after receiving threats from local Congress party workers. In Pune too, the management of the hotel where the director had put up advised him not to go outside.On the charge that the film maligns the image of Indira Gandhi and other Congress leaders of the past, Bhandarkar said, ?I have not made the film to malign anyone. Otherwise I would have made a 100% documentary, and not a film.? Read more: Important to tell today?s generation about the Emergency: Madhur Bhandarkar