Vidhu calls Shikara critics donkeys

Filmmaker-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has lashed out at people criticising his new film Shikara. He says those who have accused him of commercialising the plight of Kashmiri Pandits in the film are “gadhe” (donkeys).

“3 Idiots, which I produced earned Rs 33 crore on its first day of release, and we knew the first day collection of Shikara will be 30 lakh. Despite that we gave 11 years of our life to make this film. I feel today things are very funny because I’ve made films that collected Rs 30 crore on its first day, and when I make a film that collects Rs 30 lakh on its first day in the memory of my mother, people say I have commercialised the pain of Kashmiri people. I feel people who think that way are gadhe (donkeys), and that’s why I want to tell you, don’t be donkeys. First see the film and then form your opinions,” Chopra said.

Chopra said renowned Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron has praised his film:

“This film opened with great reviews everywhere. I presume you would have heard about a man called James Cameron who has directed Titanic and Avatar. He called this film as a masterpiece in a four-page letter. In India, the film released to full houses and great reviews. Then, suddenly all this hate wave comes up.”

He added: “I am not on Twitter or on any social media. What came as a big surprise for us is that our rating on IMDb, which was around eight or nine, dropped to one. We found that on all these social media platforms, people have started putting up videos and saying ‘this is how you press the button to give the film a one-star rating’.”