Hansal Mehta backs Kunal Kamra amid joke row; recalls ordeal , says 'my face was blackened'
PTC News Desk: Filmmaker Hansal Mehta came out in support of comedian Kunal Kamra after his remarks against Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde triggered massive outrage leading to slew of FIRs against the comedian.
Mehta in a strong-worded social media post criticised violence and intimidation while recalling a similar experience he faced 25 years ago with his dark comedy Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!
Hansal Mehta shared a note on Instagram that read, “What happened with Kamra is, sadly, not new to Maharashtra. I’ve lived through it myself." Looking back to the time when "loyalists of the same (then undivided) political party stormed into my office" and vandalised his space, he wrote, "They vandalised it, physically assaulted me, blackened my face, and forced me to apologise publicly—by falling at the feet of an elderly woman—for a single line of dialogue in my film (sic)."
"The line was harmless, almost trivial. The film had already been cleared by the Censor Board with 27 other cuts. But that didn’t matter (sic)," he further said.
"At the so-called “apology” venue, at least 20 political figures arrived in full strength to oversee what can only be described as a public shaming—with 10,000 onlookers and the Mumbai Police watching in silence (sic),” he stated.
Meanwhile comedian Kamara said that no political party controls his comedy and that making fun of leaders is not against the law.
"Our right to freedom of speech and expression is not only to be used to fawn over the powerful and rich even though today's media would have us believe otherwise. Your inability to take a joke at the expense of a powerful public figure does not change the nature of my right," Kamra said.
- With inputs from agencies
