Pankaj Kapur reacts to those calling Bheed ‘anti India’ film: ‘It’s ridiculous that one small teaser…’

Bheed relays the events of the workers’ migration during the 2020 lockdown and compares it to the Partition in 1947. It stars Rajkummar Rao, Dia Mirza, Bhumi Pednekar, Ashutosh Rana, Virendra Saxena, Aditya Shrivastava, Kritika Kamra and Karan Pandit. Pankaj plays a role of a watchman who is forced to move after the Covid-induced lockdown in India.

Talking about negative reactions to the Bheed teaser, Pankaj told Indian Express, “You must realise that in our society, which is what you’ll also see in our film, that before a drop of rain happens, people will announce monsoons. We are so impatient and opinionated. Instead of being patient and saying, ‘Ok, let’s reflect upon what is happening’, we jump the gun. You can opine, but first watch the film? It’s ridiculous that one small teaser… And you start saying it’s a political film. It’s an analytical film that talks about the mindset of our society, how we think, how we reflect to a given situation! Very few films have shown authorities in a positive sense, the way this film has shown.”

Many also raised questions about a scene in Bheed where Pankaj’s character refuses to accept food from Muslim men for allegedly spreading ‘Corona Jihad. The term was coined after the Tablighi Jamat controversy. “Once you see the film, you’ll realise it has been dealt with differently. He (Sinha) has used this now as a thought that did exist, but there’s also another thought that’s been incorporated in the film. Which when you’ll see will make you realise that human beings, at the end of the day, are all the same,” added the 68-year-old actor.

Bheed will be a black-and-white movie. It is produced by T-Series and Benaras Mediaworks, and will be released in theatres on March 24, 2023.