Controversies are not new to Adah Sharma, whose last film was “The Kerala Story.” The movie created waves as creating communal rift among Indians. Once again, she landed in the soup with her new film “Bastar: The Naxal Story.”
JNU students allege that the film shows their university in bad light, However, Adah defends it saying, “Once people watch the film, they’ll understand what it’s about.” Director Vipul Amrutlal Shah supports her.
Protests Over the Film
The teaser of the film shows Adah as a police officer who names JNU as the place that celebrates the deaths of cops at the hands of Naxals. The character also gives a call to execute the ‘left-leaning pseudo-intellectuals’ from big cities publicly.
The promo aired suggests that JNU students side with Naxals. This video clip attracted online trolls and JNU Students Union tweeted that they would start urgent legal action.
Saying that movies are a mirror of society, both Adah Sharma and Vipul Shah defend their film. Vipul had also directed the above-mentioned “The Kerala Story” movie where Adah Sharma played the lead.
Speaking the truth is never an easy journey, according to them. However, last month, JNU students burnt the film posters in protest and slammed the filmmaker for inciting hatred and spreading dangerous propaganda.
Not Trying to Divide the Country
As a director, Vipual says that he is simply depicting certain aspects in his movie. But, “That does not mean I am dividing the country. Our people are mature enough not to turn against each other because of a film. Sometimes, fault lines can bring people together.”
Even Adah Sharma said in an interview, “Like I said even during The Kerala Story, it’s a democracy – people can choose to watch a film or not, they can comment after watching a film or not.” She also asks that fans and audiences should respect those who make negative remarks because it is their choice.
Adah Sharma and Vipul Have Proof
The hard-hitting fact-based film “Bastar: The Naxal Story” is about real-life incidents that happened during the Naxal movement in Chhattisgarh. In the end, Vipul is confident that he has shown both sides of the coin in his movie as it is important for such complex subjects. They are portraying situations that occurred, and they have concrete evidence to back them up.
The Adah Sharma movie received the Censor Board’s “A” certificate and will be released on March 15. Her last film dealt with forceful religious conversions, and this one deals with a Naxal backdrop. Seems like the beautiful actor who debuted with 2008’s horror film “1920” is finally getting her due.
