A member of the organizing crew of the continuing Bhopal Lit Fest (BLF) revealed why a chat on LGBTQ points by filmmaker Onir Dhar, on the occasion, was cancelled. As per a brand new report, the member mentioned on Saturday that it was cancelled as a bunch threatened to stage a protest. (Also Read | Besharam Rang row: Onir asks if ‘now goons will decide what we watch’)
Earlier on Thursday, Onir took to Twitter and shared the news. The filmmaker additionally posted a photograph of himself. “Shocked and Sad that an event I was really looking forward to speaking at had to drop me. Apparently, there was a group threatening protest and violence and the police told the organisers that they cannot guarantee my safety. So, they cancelled the event. Let me process this…,” he said in a tweet.
Writer-journalist Abhilash Khandekar, a member of the organising committee, said that they were told by “government sources” that security issues could arise due to Onir’s presence. “It is obvious that any author should be sad in such a situation, but we were told by government sources that they do not want this kind of author (Onir’s) in Bharat Bhawan due to security reasons as it may ruin the event. We respect freedom of speech. Therefore, we had invited Onir Dhar to the BLF,” he instructed news company PTI.
Abhilash mentioned they thought it was higher to cancel his session slightly than cancelling your complete pageant. “Even RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has just lately spoken on the LGBTQ subject. The Lit Fest organised by the Centre in Shimla final yr additionally had classes on this topic. So, once we had been instructed {that a} query of his security and safety can come up in Bhopal, we requested Dhar (about agreeing to cancellation). Someone instructed that police will be known as, however we consider police shouldn’t be there in a literature pageant…,” Abhilash added.
Abhilash added that the organizers need to put Bhopal on the nation’s literary map. The Ministry of External Affairs has supported the BLF — organized by a personal group — formally, he added. The BLF began at Bharat Bhawan, a government-owned arts complicated in Bhopal, on Friday. Onir was scheduled to talk on the opening day.
Onir made his directorial debut with My Brother Nikhil in 2005. The movie starred Sanjay Suri and Juhi Chawla amongst others. My Brother Nikhil has obtained a number of awards. In 2006, he launched his second movie Bas Ek Pal. The movie featured Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Suri and Jimmy Shergill. He made a number of different movies similar to Sorry Bhai, I Am, Shab, Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz. In 2018, Onir directed a documentary Widows Of Vrindavan.