Javed Akhtar and ‘KGF’ actor Anant Nag weigh in on ‘Pathaan’s ‘Besharam Rang’ controversy

Lyricist Javed Akhtar and ‘KGF’ actor Anant Nag are the latest celebrities to weigh in on the ongoing controversy over ‘Pathaan’s song ‘Besharam Rang’. The song featuring Deepika Padukone in an orange bikini irked several people. A section of society claimed the colour is sacred in Hinduism, while some objected to the title of the film which happens to be a particular ethnic group.

Commenting on the same, Javed Akhtar said, ‘If he (the minister) thinks there should be a separate censor board for Madhya Pradesh, they (should) watch the film separately. And if they are unhappy with the Centre's film certification, we should not come in between them, it is between them and the Centre.’

When asked about the recently constituted 'Dharma Censor Board', Javed said, ‘There is one censor board in MP, then this is there and one censor board of the centre is also there. What is the problem? We have four-five important 'dharmas' and they should have their censors. Maybe then moulvis (under Islam) will start watching films. Do it, do it!’

‘It is not for me or you to decide whether the song is right or wrong. We have an agency,’ he added. Javed Akhtar said the people should trust the certification provided by the censor board and the cuts they suggest.

On the other hand, veteran actor Anant Nag slammed the costume worn by Deepika Padukone in the ‘Pathaan’

Speaking with Asianet, Anant Nag described the song as having ‘nudity content’.
‘Showing women in such a way is not part of our Indian culture. If the censor team had done their job, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place,” he said, adding, “Forget about movies, look at OTT content, they show all sorts of nasty and offensive stuff. Everything is openly shown and no one is there to stop them,’ he said.

The actor concluded, ‘The Indian Cinema should stop such nudity content on big and small screens. Showing things against our culture and tradition will definitely cause conflicts among the people.’

‘Pathaan’, directed by Sidharth Anand, will release on January 25..

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