How dare you! Farhan Akhtar to BJP spokesperson

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has taken a dig at BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao over his remarks that most Indian film stars have "very low IQ and very low general knowledge".

"How dare you, sir?" an angry Farhan tweeted and tagged the BJP leader. "And to all film people in his ranks... Here's what he thinks of you. Shame sir," the actor wrote.

Farhan's comment was in reaction to an interview Rao gave to Times Now TV over the ongoing controversy on Tamil film "Mersal" that has scenes critical of the GST and the Digital India initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rao, criticising the movie and its makers in the TV interview, said: "In any case, most of our film stars have very low IQ, very low general knowledge."

"Mersal", Tamil actor Vijay's Diwali release, is in the news after the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP demanded removal of specific dialogues which take a dig at GST and digital India. Several politicians, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and DMK leader M.K. Stalin, apart from actor Kamal Haasan, have slammed the BJP's attempt to muzzle criticism regarding its policies. Directed by Atlee, "Mersal" stars Vijay in the roles of a village head, a doctor and a magician.

The BJP, while referring to the controversy', said that the people have right to criticise the government but must get their facts right. “On the one hand, the Congress Party wants to take the credit for the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and, on the other hand, it tries to criticise it. Rahul Gandhi is trying to politicise a sensitive issue, on which there was a political consensus. All the state governments had unanimously decided to bring a uniform tax structure in the country. If a movie represents wrong facts, then it is natural that people will point it out, ‘’ ‘BJP leader Sudesh Verma told ANI.