Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has lashed out on Brahmin groups that have opposed the release of the upcoming film Phule. The film stars Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa in the lead and is based on the lives of Dalit reformers and socialists Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule. The film’s release was initially scheduled for April 11; however, owing to the backlash from certain Brahmin groups, the film’s release has been delayed. 

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Kashyap slams a ‘rigged system’

On Wednesday, Kashyap went on a rant as he shared a series of posts slamming casteism, censorship, and what he calls a "rigged system."

Kashyap wrote, "Meri zindagi ka pehla natak Jyotiba aur Savitribai Phule pe tha. Bhai agar casteism nahin hota is desh mein toh unko kya zaroorat thi ladne ki. Ab ye Brahmin log ko sharam aa rahi hai ya wo sharam mein mare ja rahe hain ya phir ek alag Brahmin Bharat mein jee rahe hain jo hum dekh nahin paa rahe hain. C****** kaun hai koi to samjhaye (The first play of my life was on Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule. Brother, if casteism didn’t exist in this country, why would they have needed to fight? Now these Brahmin folks are either feeling ashamed, dying of shame, or living in some alternate Brahmin India that we just can’t see. Who’s the fool here - can someone please explain?? (sic)" 

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The filmmaker didn’t stop there. In another post, he questioned how fringe groups are able to access films before their official release. “My question is, when the film goes for censoring there are four members in the board. How the f*** the groups and the wings get access to films until and unless they are given access to it. The whole f***ing system is rigged.. (sic),” he wrote in his next post.

Kashyap, who is known to always speak up for the cause of cinema, also listed out several films that have allegedly faced backlash or unofficial bans including some he had made.

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“Punjab 95, Tees, Dhadak 2, Phule....I don't know how many other films are blocked that exposes the agenda of this casteist, regionalist, racist, government... So ashamed that they can't even openly talk about what is it about the film that bothers them. F***in' cowards (sic)," wrote Kashyap.

Phule release postponed amid backlash from Brahmin groups: Know all about the controversy

About Phule

Phule, starring Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa, traces the revolutionary work of the Phule couple in challenging caste and gender inequality in 19th-century India. The film is helmed by Ananth Mahadevan.

Phule was initially scheduled for release on April 11. The Akhil Bhartiya Brahmin Samaj and Parshuram Aarthik Vikas Mahamandal are among the organisations who have objected to the film's content which allegedly shows the Brahmin community in bad light.

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The Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) suggested modifications, which the makers incorporated. The makers decided to postpone the film by two weeks, so they could have a dialogue with people stating that the film doesn't have objectionable content.

Phule is now set to release on April 25.

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