Bollywood has been under attack from the so-called ‘culture-protectors’, also called politicians, for a while now. The latest tinsel-town member that has come under attack is Shekhar Suman.
According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, several fringe groups staged protests at the outspoken celebrity’s Mumbai residence and also outside the auditorium in Indore where he was performing a play. But the issue seems to have been resolved now.
This was in response to Suman speaking on behalf of Bhansali and condemning the attack on the filmmaker during the shooting of Padmavati, in Rajasthan. The Rajput Karni Sena initiated these protests that left Shekhar Suman and his family rattled.
It is alleged that these protests took part simultaneously in Indore and Mumbai. The Rajasthani outfit staged a nasty protest outside an auditorium in Indore where Suman’s play, Ek Mulaqaat, was being enacted. However, the more sinister protest took place at Suman’s residence in Mumbai, where the Gujarati Mahakal Sena threatened his wife and son.
Shekhar Suman, in a surprising act, chose not to go to the police, and instead handled the matter in a more docile way. It seems he met with Sanjay Rathore, and expressed his opinion - which was not to insult any community.
A source told Mumbai Mirror,
Shekhar was just pointing out that they should not have taken the law in their hands. But the groups accused him of disrespecting the Rajput community. He has always maintained that he respects every community. On Sunday, things took a turn for the worse when around 300 members of the Rajput Karni Sena protested outside the auditorium in Indore. After that, Shekhar received a call from the Radisson Hotel, where he was staying, that 300 people protesting were protesting there too. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, 100 people from Gujarat’s Mahakal Sena landed up to protest outside his house. After a couple of hours, they left a letter with the contact number of their head, Sanjay Rathore.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that the Sena outfits will not be harassing him, or his family, any further. Shekhar has confirmed that he has worked it out with the leaders of the protest and that the issue has been resolved “amicably”.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)