Manmarziyaan actor Abhishek Bachchan, who features in a smoking scene that is among three deleted scenes from the film, says there’s no harm in excluding some content if it hurts people’s sentiments.
Director Anurag Kashyap has been vocal about his anger over the deletion of the scenes, which apparently happened without his knowledge. The film’s lead actress Taapsee Pannu also slammed the decision.
During an interactive session at Jagran Cinema Summit on Friday, Bachchan said: “Each individual has a right to react and if people have felt bad over some scenes, then I feel there is no harm in deleting those scenes from the movie unless it does not change the narrative of the film.”
“Being a part of film fraternity, our main purpose is not to hurt anyone’s sentiments,” he added. “If there are some scenes and if people’s opposition to scenes can affect the business of the film, then I guess exhibitors are right on their part because it is not an actor who stands to lose. It is the production people and exhibitors who have to suffer the loss in the end.”
The scenes were deleted after Sikh groups complained that three scenes — including two smoking ones — offended their religious sentiments.
The scenes include one featuring Abhishek Bachchan’s Robbie smoking and one with Taapsee Pannu’s Rumi smoking. The third scene had the two of them enter a Gurudwara (place of worship for Sikhs) as bride and groom while Rumi thought about her past with Vicky Kaushal’s character.
For Abhishek, the deletion of the scenes is not a “big deal”.
“If someone has objections over some scenes, then it’s her/his opinion and everyone has all the right to express their issue. I believe even one member of the community is not happy over something, then we all should try to understand each other beliefs and if there is some genuine issue, then we should act on it happily,” the actor added.
At the same time, Abhishek said that if the cuts and objections would have changed the film’s storyline, then he would have also reacted on it and taken it up as a debate.
“Before taking any stand, it is important to understand what’s the issue and what’s the objection,” he said.
