Hansal Mehta says anti-Bollywood sentiment ‘disturbing to say the least’, calls out ‘colleagues’ in Hindi film industry

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has reacted to the anti-Bollywood sentiment saying that ‘it is disturbing to say the least’. In a new interview, Hansal also highlighted that things are written on social media platforms with the ‘endorsement of some of our own colleagues’. Calling the Hindi film industry a ‘resilient’ one, Hansal added that ‘it is a transitory phase’ and ‘we will emerge out of it’. (Also Read | Don’t make s*** films and then complain that some boycott has destroyed your film: Ranvir Shorey)

Several Hindi films, this year, have faced backlash from a section of the people leading to their failure at the domestic box office. Films like the Aamir Khan-starrer Laal Singh Chaddha and Akshay Kumar-starrer Raksha Bandhan faced the ‘boycott Bollywood’ trend earlier this year. Raksha Bandhan’s week one collection was around ₹37.50 crore, while Laal Singh Chaddha earned ₹49 crore in seven days at the box office.

In an interview with Indian Express, Hansal said, “It is disturbing to say the least. The kind of stuff that is written on social media, some of it even surreptitiously and otherwise, with the endorsement of some of our own colleagues. It is disturbing but I do also feel that a lot of it is also social media, very manufactured. What is happening in this diversion, this madness, our fear is getting the better of us in being able to tell our stories the way we want to, in making the films the way we want to. It is a transitory phase; we will emerge out of it. It is a resilient industry.”

“What is important is to not lose focus of our main job: That is to tell stories, whatever the counter point. Whether your film is out and out propaganda, or it is completely counter to the propaganda that is being fed to us. I feel in the quest to serve a certain agenda, we have forgotten that we are actually making films for audiences,” he added.

Hansal recently wrapped up the London shooting of his murder mystery movie with Kareena Kapoor. He also has an action-drama with Kartik Aaryan. Season two of Scam and a web series on Mahatma Gandhi will reunite him with Pratik Gandhi.