New Delhi: The A. R. Rahman’s recent comments about not getting work in Bollywood have drawn a strong reaction from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal on Saturday said that if Rahman wanted to get work again, he should “ghar wapsi”. His comments came after Rahman suggested that he may have lost work in the Hindi film industry over the past eight years, possibly due to communal reasons.
Reacting to this, Bansal alleged that Rahman had come to be identified with a particular group. He also claimed that Rahman appeared to be following the line of former Vice President Hamid Ansari, alleging that Ansari had enjoyed benefits and constitutional positions for ten years but later made statements that, according to him, insulted India.
Continuing his criticism, Bansal said that Rahman was once admired by Indians, including Hindus, but instead of reflecting on why he was not getting work, he was making remarks against the system and bringing disrepute to the film industry. He further claimed that Rahman was once a Hindu and questioned why he converted to Islam, adding that “ghar wapsi” could help him get work again. Such statements, he said, may suit politicians but not artists.
Rahman had made the remarks during an interview to the BBC Asian Network. In the interview, he said that for several years he had felt like an outsider in Bollywood and that he had not received work for the past eight years. Speaking about possible reasons, he said it could be communalism, though he added that it was not something directly in front of him.
Rahman also said he was not chasing work and that everything was fine. He added that he now had more time to spend with his family and believed that work should come to him based on honesty and merit, and that he would get what was meant for him.
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Mumbai (PTI): Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh received a threat through WhatsApp from unidentified persons, police said on Tuesday.
Security around his residence was increased after Singh received a threat through a voice note and approached police, an official said.
The threat to the `Dhurandhar' star came days after an incident of firing outside the residence of filmmaker Rohit Shetty in the city.
Police suspect that members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang could be behind the threat to Ranveer with the purpose of extortion, the official said. The crime branch of Mumbai Police has launched a probe, he added.
Besides Mumbai Police personnel, private guards too have been deployed at the housing society in Central Mumbai where the actor lives.
On Tuesday, the society's managing committee approached police and expressed concern over the deployment of guards. "Since these armed guards are frequently moving with weapons in common areas such as the lobby, gymnasium and children's play area, the society managing committee has expressed serious concern regarding the safety and comfort of other residents," they said in a letter.
Recently, an unidentified shooter had fired five rounds at filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence in Juhu.
Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Shubham Lonkar, who has been absconding, purportedly took responsibility for the firing. Five men have been arrested in the case.
