Politician offers bounty for movie star
INDIA: A price has been placed on the head of one of India’s biggest female film stars, as Hindu nationalists become increasingly angry at the release of a Bollywood blockbuster that they claim distorts history.
Suraj Pal Amu, a senior official with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has offered a reward for the murder of Deepika Padukone, the star of Padmavati ,a historical epic about a 14thcentury queen of legendary beauty.
The BJP had demanded a delay in the film’s release, claiming that it contains historical inaccuracies that could inflame religious tensions before elections next month. After weeks of threats and pressure, the film’s producers confirmed yesterday that they would postpone the release indefinitely.
Amu has offered a bounty of 100 million rupees for Padukone’s head and that of the film’s director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He also threatened to break the legs of leading man Ranveer Singh, who is Padukone’s off-screen partner.
The Hindu right has hounded the film, with cast and crew receiving death threats from online zealots for weeks, sets being burnt down, and Bhansali being assaulted, but the threats escalated sharply in recent days.
After one man offered 50 million rupees to murder Padukone and Bhansali last week, Amu doubled it. ‘‘We will reward those who behead them with 10 crore [100 million rupees] and also take care of their family’s needs,’’ he told a cheering crowd at the weekend.
A BJP official distanced the party from Amu’s comments yesterday, saying: ‘‘The party has nothing to do with such statements ... no-one can issue such fatwas.’’
Many feel that the damage has been done, however. India has a history of religously motivated killings, and last week Hindu hardliners unveiled a bust of Nathuram Godse, who murdered Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.