Article 15 row: Anubhav Sinha alleges fringe outfits demanding to remove word ‘Brahmin’ from film

On Wednesday 26 June, filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, through an open letter, urged the Brahmin groups and Karni Sena to watch his film Article 15 (2019) before getting offended by it. The said groups have been protesting against the film for they believe it allegedly insults them. 

Today, Sinha has alleged that these groups are now demanding him to remove the word ‘Brahmin’ from the dialogues of the film. He also accused some goons of threatening cinema owners in various cities against showing Article 15. 

He spoke of the intimidation by re-sharing his open letter on his official Twitter page. “The goalpost is shifted. Now they want me to remove the word Brahmin from the film. Aligarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Gwalior...Goons going to the theaters threatening the Cinema owners. This is to seek help from the administration,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the Shree Samast Gujarat Brahmsamaj has demanded a ban on the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer as its members believe that it allegedly creates a gap between Brahmins and Dalits. The group’s acting president Chaitanya Shambhu Maharaj told the Indian Express.com, “Although the movie claims to be based on a real incident, they have twisted the facts to create a discord between Brahmin and Dalit communities and further wedge the gap between them.” 

They levelled the allegations yesterday while the film has released today. Hence, they have made the claims without watching the film. 

In his letter on Wednesday, Sinha also alleged the protesters sent out murder threats to him and rape threats to his sisters and wife. “Through this letter I also forgive all those who have crossed the line in their protests. There can’t be a dialogue through death threats given to me and rape threats to my sisters and mother. I believe that most of you won’t support such kind of protest. We are part of the same society and we should respect each other. My film also says the same thing,” he said.