Recently, a group of 100 Indian film personalities, coming from various genres of Indian cinema, rose in one voice to condemn the so-called dictatorship of the incumbent BJP led NDA government. Comprising filmmakers like Pa Ranjith (Kaala fame), Vetri Maaran, Aashiq Abu, Rajeev Ravi, Sanal Sasidharan (S Durga fame), Gurvinder Singh etc., the filmmakers, under the ambit of ‘Save Democracy’, appealed to the voters to unite against the tyranny of BJP.
The joint statement issued by these filmmakers said, “Fascism threatens to strike us hard with all its might if we don’t choose wisely in the coming Lok Sabha elections. There are many reasons to keep the government out of power, – a country polarised along religious lines, marginalising Dalits and Muslims, mob-lynching, hate campaigns, romanticising the armed forces. This is our last chance to keep the harmful regime from returning to power.”
This comes as no big surprise. 5 years earlier, a high profile list of more than 50 Bollywood personalities, including the likes of screenwriter Anjum Rajabali, filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar etc., apart from celebrities like Vishal Bhardwaj, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shubha Mudgal, Vijay Krishna Acharya, Naseeruddin Shah etc. had appealed to the masses in an open letter to vote for anybody but PM Modi, since he would harm the ‘secular ethos’ of the nation. It is another matter that their so called request fell on deaf ears and people overwhelmingly elected PM Narendra Modi to power.
However, in a curious twist to the current list, Aarti Vyas Patel, a film producer based in Gujarat, objected to a Congress’ tweet about the same and denied her association with any such list.
Communities across India are standing up against the BJP govt's misuse of power, hate politics & polarisation. Over 100 filmmakers have come together to appeal to every Indian to stop BJP from eroding our Constitution, our institutions & our diversity. https://t.co/3ypJxVZa9p
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 30, 2019
It's fake.. I don't know from where they have got the names, may be from a film directory. I haven't given any statement nor signed any appeal.https://t.co/Acz6vM5vXH https://t.co/T5UpU1NXkQ
— Aarti (@aartivyaspatel) March 31, 2019
She also clarified her stance with another tweet.
As far as my name is concerned, i am a producer from Gujarat and making regional films. Recently i produced film @LoveNiBhavai Also i am elected member of Indian Motion Pictures Producer's Association – IMPPA
— Aarti (@aartivyaspatel) March 31, 2019
These tweets only expose how low the cabal of Modi haters will stoop to just in order to show their blind hatred for the current Prime Minister. It is clear that the names of people who are not at all connected with their vicious brand of propaganda against PM Modi are included, just for the sake of hogging a few seconds of limelight. Aarti Vyas Patel has called out the bluff without any hesitation and exposed the lies of the left-liberal intellectuals.