Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): “Ye to hona hi tha (This was bound to happen) is what Bollywood lyricist Manoj ‘Muntashir’ Shukla had to say on the controversy kicked up by right-wing politicians over Deepika-SRK starrer film, Pathaan.
He said that the makers of Pathaan should have chosen a different colour for Deepika’s bikini. “Had they done that, there would have been no controversy,” he said.
Teri Mitti-fame lyricist was interacting with media persons at Jehan Numa Palace Hotel in the city on Monday. He said that everyone should respect sentiments of the nation. “National heroes do not belong to any caste or religion,” he said.
He said that “creative liberty” played havoc in the entertainment industry, referring to films showing Goddess Kali smoking. Manoj said he suffered losses worth crores of rupees because he did not accept films, which insulted or questioned Sanatan traditions and values.
Refuting allegations that he was a casteist and was speaking as a Brahmin, Manoj said that he made video films on Rana Pratap and Shivaji, none of whom were Brahmins, adding that he had every right to be proud of his religion and caste.
Manoj said that in his childhood, he had read NCERT books, which did not introduce him to real history of India. “As I grew up, I discovered new facts and I realised that we were deprived of our real heroes,” he said.
“Instead of celebrating the love of Akbar and Jodha Bai, we should celebrate the love of Radha and Krishna,” the lyricist added.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
