The ongoing debate about Adah Sharma’s The Kerala Story does not seem to end soon.
Though some are supporting the movie, others are raising questions about the film’s plot, claiming it is spreading hate between two religions. While several actors have come in support of the movie’s ban from a few Indian states, Naseeruddin Shah recently chimed in, saying “Muslim hating” has become fashionable and the ongoing films are “undisguised propaganda.”
Shah is among the Bollywood veterans who never fail to share his views out loud. He often targets the ruling party in his interviews being their vocal critic. The actor was last seen in the web series Taj: Divided by Blood.
The Kerala Story is currently among the biggest discussions in the country as it has left viewers divided. Many actors, including Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Kamal Haasan, have also opposed the movie and called out its plot. Now, in an interview with Indian Express, Naseeruddin Shah expressed his views to the discussion and mentioned that we are living in “worrying times.”
The Sarfarosh star said, “Oh sure, these are worrying times absolutely. The kind of stuff that’s pure, undisguised propaganda is being lapped up and it’s a reflection of the zeitgeist of the times.” Naseeruddin Shah further called out the ruling party and continued, “Muslim hating is fashionable these days, even among educated people. It’s what the ruling party has very cleverly tapped into this nerve. We talk about secular this, democracy that, so why are you introducing religion into everything?”
The industry veteran further slammed the election commission for not speaking up at the moment. He also added that if a Muslim leader had asked voters to say ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ and vote, it would have created utter devastation. He said, “I mean how spineless is the election commission of ours? Who doesn’t even dare utter a word. If there had been a Muslim leader who had said, ‘Allah Hu Akbar bol ke button dabao’, sh*t would have hit the fan.”
Naseeruddin Shah further said, “But here our Prime Minister goes ahead and says things like this and yet he loses. So, I have hope that this will wear off. But it’s definitely, at the moment, at its peak. It’s been a very clever card played by this government, and it has worked. Let’s see how long it continues to work.”
