Critics accuse him of trivialising mass suffering, reflecting a ‘truly disgusting society’ and moral decay
NEW DELHI – Prominent filmmaker and producer Ram Gopal Varma has sparked widespread outrage with a social media post comparing Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, to the genocidal situation in Gaza. He wrote, “In INDIA only one day is DIWALI and in GAZA, every day is DIWALI,” essentially equating the joyous celebration with the devastating and relentless Israeli bombardment of the Strip which has killed over 70,000 people including thousands of innocent women and children.
Official figures on Tuesday said more than 20,000 Palestinian students were killed and over 31,000 injured in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since October 2023.
The filmmaker’s post invited condemnation from journalists, writers, activists, and academics.
They criticised Varma’s comments as cruel, insensitive, and a mockery of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Award-winning journalist Rana Ayyub slammed him, saying, “What is left for a virus to kill in a morally corrupt nation.” Columnist Sara Ather noted that the polarised discourse in India is hard for outsiders to comprehend, while academic and activist Rakhi Tripathi pointed at Varma’s lack of empathy, saying Diwali represents hope and renewal, whereas Gaza represents survival. “Diwali is about hope, light, and renewal. Gaza is about survival. This man doesn’t know the difference between celebration and devastation. Cruel he is,” she wrote.
Activist Ali Asad went further, labelling it a symptom of societal rot: “These are the only people in the world who are worse than Israelis because they choose to be Zionist slaves.”
Critics accused Varma of trivialising mass suffering, reflecting a “truly disgusting society” and moral decay.
Netizens vociferously demanded accountability, flooding X with calls for the platform to remove the post and penalise hate speech that mocks atrocities. Hashtags like #BoycottRGV and #JusticeForGaza trended worldwide, amplifying voices from Palestine solidarity movements.
Varma has not yet reacted, leaving the controversy to fester. The incident underscores the perils of celebrity influence in amplifying divisive rhetoric during global crises, prompting urgent debates on free speech versus human dignity.
The controversy highlights the polarised nature of Indian politics and the influence of celebrities in shaping public discourse.
