The Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Article 15, which releases on 28 June, has found itself in much controversy ever since the trailer for the film dropped. After earning the ire of Parshuram Sena, a Brahmin outfit from UP, the makers of Article 15 have now also been threatened by the Karni Sena, the same group that protested the release of Deepika-Ranveer starrer Padmaavat in 2018.
The Karni Sena along with another outfit that calls itself the Brahman Mahasabha held a press conference on 24 June saying demanding that the film is ‘banned’. A member of the Brahman Mahasabha said, “Ban this film leave Brahmins alone, remove our name from the film. Brahmins have always been shown in a bad light.” He added, “There so many mistakes in the film, they are showing that the crime has happened with a Dalit but in reality it was with someone from the OBC category.”
He also mentioned that they have given Anubhav Sinha, the director of Article 15, an ultimatum. “We have sent Anubhav Sinha a letter with our objections but haven’t received any response from him. There is no time to go to court now, we will give him 48 hours to respond otherwise we don’t know what we will do to his workplace,” he threatened.
According to a report by mid-day, Sinha responded to the threats by admitting that plenty of Brahmins have worked on the film, hence it cannot be anti-Brahmin. He also pleaded for the group to accept the CBFC’s approval and let the movie release.
“Why would I make an anti-Brahmin film? People are smart enough to know that there were enough and more Brahmins associated with the making of the film to know [that it doesn’t showcase them in bad light],”Anubhav Sinha, Director
Earlier, a Brahmin outfit was upset that the trailer suggests the crime in question was committed by a Mahantji, the highest Brahmin sub-caste, as they feel it will defame the community.
“If the film is based on the Badaun incident, where was the need to turn the accused into Brahmins? It is obvious that the intention is to malign the Brahmin community. We have started creating awareness about the issue and we will not allow the film to release here,” said one of the members of the outfit.
Ayushmann Khurrana has also claimed that Article 15 is neutral and refrains from taking any sides.
“I have noticed that there is a lot of controversy around ‘Article 15’. I would like to maintain to everyone who is protesting and claiming that the film is anti-Brahmin, please see the film. Our film does not take any sides, has no intention to showcase any community in bad light and it has been censored by the censor board who have their own set of guidelines of seeing a film,”Ayushmann Khurrana, Actor
The Anubhav Sinha directorial is loosely inspired by the rape and murder of two Dalit women, which took place in Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. In the trailer, Ayushmann essays a police officer who is sent to a UP village to investigate the rape and murder of two young Dalit girls who are found hanging from a tree. It is later revealed that they were targeted because they demanded a hike in their daily wages. Ayushmann’s character has to contend with the caste politics at play while getting to the bottom of the investigation.
(With inputs from Mid-day and IANS)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)