Exclusive! Blurr director Ajay Bahl: Sad that the toxicity of the internet & ban culture is affecting the business of cinema

From the colour of an actor's attire to religious identity, a comment that an actor made in the past or their political stand on the current affair of the country, to the food habit of an actor - everything could be a reason to ban a film. The demand can come from anywhere and be amplified on social media. Eventually, it affects the business of cinema, especially Bollywood films.

This year, many Bollywood films have had to face this, especially the big-ticket releases. Currently, Shah Rukh Khan's crucial comeback film Pathaan is in the eye of the storm as religious groups are objecting to the song Besharam Rang. This call has only been amplified by political parties, who are all objecting to Deepika Padukone wearing a saffron bikini in the song.

Director Ajay Bahl, who's film Blurr, starring Taapsee Pannu, which released on an OTT platform, received a polarised response from critics. We recently asked Ajay what bothers him the most from reviews and reactions of the audience.

Ajay told OTTplay, "Whether it is my film or someone else's film, if it is not doing well at the box office, that is okay. We know how to deal with it. We feel bad, try to find out what went wrong, learn from it, and move on. But what bothers me is the toxicity on the internet, especially on social media, and the ban culture that we are dealing with. It is not just negatively affecting the business, but our minds as well. As human beings, where are we heading really? How easy it has become to ban and target films and film stars!"

He further elaborated, "These days, films get banned and people bad mouth them based on the political opinion of the maker or the actor. It doesn't stop there, but goes to the extent where someone said something in the past and dug that out, and humiliated the person as well as banned the film. At times, this happens based on the food habit of an actor. Really? Where are we heading as a society? It is heartbreaking!"

In the past, Ranbir Kapoor faced backlash from Hindu outfits before the release of his film Brahmāstra, for once expressing his love for eating beef. Aamir Khan faced backlash before the release of Laal Singh Chadda, and actors like Farhan Akhtar and Ali Fazal had to deal with the ban brigade for protesting against CAA. Akshay Kumar also landed in legal trouble before the release of Ram Setu.

Deepika and Shah Rukh, the leads of Pathaan, have been at the centre of controversies on many occasions. Deepika dealt with it during the release of Padmaavat and Chhapaak. She faced backlash for lending her support and solidarity to the students of JNU, who were protesting against CAA. Shah Rukh was pulled into controversies several times, many times for his religious identity.

Pathaan, produced by Yash Raj Films, is slated to release in theatres on January 25.

Blurr is available to stream on OTTplay and ZEE5.  

Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu will be seen together in the Rajkumar Hirani directorial Dunki.