Anurag Kashyap’s anguish at the assault on filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Jaipur on the sets of ‘Padmavati’ is understandable. The expression of solidarity is not only due to their belonging to the same industry or friendship for that matter, it is more about his tryst with trolls when his film ‘Udta Punjab’ was about to hit theaters last year. He was at the receiving end of the censor board and was hounded on social media. He didn’t cower down and gave a piece of his mind to those who questioned his convictions.

Recently, Anurag Kashyap openly and vociferously came out in defense of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ that had drawn the right-wing ire for casting Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. That was heroism of sorts considering the fence-sitting tendencies of Bollywood. Kashyap has been campaigning against high-handedness of the right-wing fringe elements and has been trying to galvanise the industry to put a fight to such arm-twisting strategy employed to extract narrow political mileage. He did exactly that when he exhorted the film fraternity to come together and fight such elements after ‘Padmavati’ director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was slapped and manhandled by Karni Sena goons over mere rumours of distortion of history as to ‘Rani Padmavati’–a Rajput queen who had performed ‘Johar’ to protect her honour.

Kashyap expressed his anger at the assault.

“Can once the whole film industry come together and take a stand, and refuse to be a pony that all bullshit and bullshitters ride on?” he wrote on twitter.

However, in the rush of rage Anurag Kashyap wrote something that likened him with the forces he is fighting against. He found that it was a display of ‘Hindu’ terrorism.

“Hindu extremists have stepped out of twitter into the real world now.. and Hindu terrorism is not a myth anymore,” he wrote on the micro-blogging website.

The comment was made in bad taste and maligned the entire community due to the actions of a few miscreants. It is not only an epic overreaction but also outright inappropriate. The comment goes against the liberal ethos he bats for and espouses.

Karni Sena’s actions are unpardonable and there is no justification for that. But there is no justification for Anurag Kashyap’s shocking comments either. How can a dozen goons represent the character of an entire community? If Anurag Kashyap calls this an act of terrorism, what exactly would he call what ISIS is doing in Iraq?  Does he, in his infinite wisdom, find no distinguishing factor between the two acts? Does he see both the acts in the same light?

Anurag Kashyap has been critical of the trolls who certify people national and anti-national using flimsy logics. But the actor has done the same this time. He has certified people ‘Hindu’ terrorists who were on the wrong side of the law. They were wrong and should be punished according to the law. But nothing they did give Anurag Kashyap the right to slander an entire community by associating it with the word that is synonymous with shameless brutality and is the biggest challenge the world is facing for the past three decades. While liberals across the world are campaigning to disassociate Islam from the word ‘Islamic terrorism’ with the argument that terror has no religion, the so-called liberal Kashyap in his reactionary fervour associated another religion to the nefarious act against humanity.

Not only Hinduism, he also wrote that he was ashamed of being a Rajpoot.

“At the same time Shame on you Karni Sena, you make me feel ashamed to be a Rajput.. bloody spineless cowards ..,” he wrote on Twitter.

In a fit of rage, he made the comment. Does he imply that Karni Sena represents the entire Rajpoot community?  Mr Kashyap?

Kashyap was trolled for his comments. He trolled them back using words like ‘Hindu terrorists’.

Not the words of a liberal.

With these comments, Anurag Kashyap has clearly proven that he is a pseudo-liberal or not a liberal at all. He is a reactionary who lost his temper and engaged in verbal violence much like the twitter trolls that do not fall short of hurling insults and abuses if crossed.

Anurag Kashyap has the right to register his protest against the atrocious attack against Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the harshest words possible, but he needs to be responsible in his speech if he calls himself a member of the civil society as issuing terror certificates is clearly not civil.

Source: India.com