A day after the members of the Bajrang Dal went on the rampage on the set of ‘Ashram 3’ in Bhopal, smearing ink on Prakash Jha and attacking the crew , the Madhya Pradesh Government said it will issue fresh guidelines on shooting movies in the State. Henceforth, film production houses will have to first get the script of the film approved by the officials.
“In the context of the shooting of web series ‘Aashram 3’, the State Government will issue fresh guidelines. Now prior to film shooting, the script is to be approved by the district Collector. Only then can they apply to get a permit to start filming,” Madhya Pradesh Minister for Home, Jail and Parliamentary Affairs and Law Department tweeted in Hindi.
On Sunday evening, Mr. Jha and members of his film unit were allegedly beaten up by the members of the Bajrang Dal on Bhopal’s old jail premises, a very high security area. The right-wing group said the web series starring Bobby Deol was an assault on Hinduism and they will not allow its filming till the title is changed.
Some videos of the incident captured on mobile phones showed the members chasing the crew and beating up at least one of them with a metal light stand. Another video showed the damaged front mirror of a vanity van MH 04 GP 2700. The Hindu hasn’t been able to independently establish the veracity of any of the videos.
The Producers Guild of India and several celebrities have condemned the attack.
“The Producers Guild of India strongly condemns the brazen acts of violence, harassment and vandalism faced by the crew involved in the production of the series ‘Ashram’ in Bhopal. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident and the Guild is alarmed to note the frequency with which the production and exhibition sectors are severely and illegally disrupted by various elements with impunity,” says the press note issued and shared by the Guild on its twitter handle (@producers_guild) / Twitter.
Horrifying, says Swara Bhasker
“Shocking, shameful and utterly believable! No one is safe in #NewIndia .. The culture of rampant impunity to lynch mobs has brought us to a point where anyone can be attacked anytime for anything! Surreal & horrifying,” actor Swara Bhasker wrote in her Twitter while expressing her shock at the incident.
Action will be taken against those who disrupted the shooting and vandalised property, Irshad Wali, DIG Bhopal, told media persons.
