Hansal Mehta Reacts As User Blames Him For 'Exploiting a Horrifying Tragedy' By Making Faraaz

Hansal Mehta is known for making realistic and gripping films like Shahid (2012), Aligarh (2015), Omerta (2017) and the critically-acclaimed web series Scam 1992. Now, Hansal Mehta is looking forward to releasing Faraaz, an action-thriller that would tell the story of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka. Even before the release of the film, a social media user recently attacked Mehta and called him a ‘shameless person’.

On Saturday, a Twitter user criticised the filmmaker and blamed him for ‘exploiting’ a tragedy for his own gains. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a shameless person. You are exploiting a horrifying tragedy for profit without asking the permission of victims family. Why don’t you make film about incidents from your own country?” the Tweet read.

Mehta promptly responded with a link to an article that delineates the fine line between ‘artistic freedom’ and presenting an empathetic take on the harrowing incident. The article also mentioned how the Dhaka 2016 attack snowballed into various ‘larger national and global trends’ ranging from the subsequent excessive securitisation of many states, including Bangladesh, to how the rampant extremism that finds its roots in ISIS has branched out across the world and many such ramifications. “Hopefully this piece gives you the chance to take a more balanced perspective on the issue. Please read,” Mehta wrote along with the link.

Faraaz features Zahaan Kapoor, Aditya Rawal, Juhi Babbar and Aamir Ali among others and is produced by Anubhav Sinha. Talking about the film, Hansal Mehta previously told PTI, “Designed as a nail-biting thriller that plays out over one tense night, my attempt with Faraaz has also been to shine a light on the immense courage and humanity that it takes to stand up against violence. Because standing up against bigotry and the carnage it triggers is the only way to defeat it. It is a story about a hero who made a brave choice and celebrates the spirit of a young boy who stood tall for his loved ones.”

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