The AIMIM chief dared filmmakers to produce movies on the issue of rising unemployment in the country
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed filmmakers for churning out anti-Muslim movies the way Adolf Hitler used to berate the Jews in Nazi Germany.
“During the last ten years when the BJP has been in power, films were made based on lies such as ‘Love Jihad’ to defame the 17 crore respected Muslims. Films like ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Kerala Story’ were made based on the claims of ‘Love Jihad’. Sometimes, a movie is produced showing Muslims breed too much,” Owaisi said at an election rally in the Bihar capital of Patna.
The Hyderabad MP dared filmmakers to make movies on the issue of rising unemployment which is causing distress in the country.
“Dear people, do you know how deep the problem of unemployment is? Why don’t you produce a movie on unemployment? You will not make a movie on this issue because (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi will get angry,” said Owaisi amid a round of applause.
What is being done today used to happen in Hitler’s Germany in the 1930s. They used to make movies to defame Jews. Sometimes, their patriotism was questioned and at others, their food habits were targeted. As a result, six million Jews were killed by putting them into gas chambers, said Owaisi.
Owaisi was also referring to a recent movie titled ‘Hum Do Hamaray Barah’ set to be released on 6 June. The film portrays a Muslim man having too many children. The man is presented as one wearing a skull cap and sporting a beard while the women are wearing the burqa and Hijab. In the movie, the actors also presented Qur’anic verses in denigrating manner.
The poster of the movie has drawn a lot of anger on social media with activists calling for the boycott of the movie.
Samiullah Khan, an activist based in Mumbai, has called for a protest against the controversial movie. “Another film insulting Muslims is going to be released, all those people in Bollywood who are making such films that dehumanise the Muslim community should clearly understand that when the time comes, we will take just and legal revenge for all these insults,” he said
He added: “A powerful democratic demonstration should start against this blatant attack on self-respect! These people have become monsters in defaming the Muslim community and expressing hatred towards them!”
Islamophobic movies have been flourishing since the Modi government assumed power. These movies have faced a lot of flak by critics for their poor presentation as well as the hate and Islamophobic messages.
At the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India in November 2022, jury head, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid publicly criticised Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Kashmir Files’, calling it ‘propaganda’.
“We were, all of us, disturbed and shocked by the 15th film: The Kashmir Files. That felt to us like propaganda, a vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel totally comfortable to share openly these feelings here with you on stage since the spirit of having a festival is to accept also a critical discussion which is essential for art and for life,” Nadav said.
