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Even Sooraj Barjatya, India's Most Sanskari Director, Thinks It's A 'Difficult Time' To Be A Filmmaker

Barjatya was speaking in the context of the attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

If anything, the attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Padmavati in Jaipur, has united the Indian film industry, particularly Bollywood.

Many actors, directors, and producers showed solidarity with Bhansali and called the attack by the Karni Sena for what it was: a cowardly act.

For those who missed the details of the controversy, the Karni Sena, a fringe group in Rajasthan, objected to the Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh starrer Padmavati as they believed it featured a romantic track between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji, a brutal ruler from the Khilji dynasty.

Bhansali had to finally assure the Karni Sena in writing that the 'sentiments' of the Rajputs will be respected and that there won't be a romantic sequence between the two characters in the film.

It was yet another case of a fringe group asserting power over an artist's freedom as the Karni Sena walked away, perhaps feeling more emboldened than ever before.

Now, in an interview to The Indian Express, Sooraj Barjatya, known for making moralistic family melodramas like Hum Saath Saath Hain and Hum Aapke Hain Koun, spoke about how the current times aren't very conducive for filmmakers.

He said, "It is a difficult time for filmmakers. It is very unfortunate what happened with him, with someone who is creating something. But we also need to understand that as a family we can always sit across and solve issues."

The director said that violence was not the solution to any problem. "You have to do a few things here and there because there are basic sentiments, which you can't play with. It is a huge country, there are many languages, religions...but violence is not the solution," he said.

In his over twenty years long career, Barjatya has never gotten into a row with the Censor Board or any particular group as his films are largely happy, safe family dramas that remain free from controversies.

For him to say that it's a difficult time for filmmakers is telling of the state of our artists today.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.