Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has expressed his support for stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra amid a controversy over alleged remarks directed at Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during Kamra’s latest performance.
Mehta, known for directing ‘Shahid‘, ‘Citylights‘, and the series ‘Scam 1992‘, condemned the vandalism of the Mumbai venue where Kamra’s show took place. Recalling a similar incident from 25 years ago, Mehta recounted facing violence from members of the then-undivided political party Shiva Sena over a line of dialogue in one of his films.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Mehta wrote, “What happened with Kamra is, sadly, not new to Maharashtra. I’ve lived through it myself. Twenty-five years ago, loyalists of the same (then undivided) political party stormed into my office. They vandalised it, physically assaulted me, blackened my face, and forced me to apologise publicly-by falling at the feet of an elderly woman-for a single line of dialogue in my film.”
He further alleged that about 20 political figures arrived at the scene to oversee his public apology while the Mumbai Police stood by without intervening. “The line was harmless, almost trivial. The film had already been cleared by the Censor Board with 27 other cuts. But that didn’t matter. At the so-called ‘apology’ venue, at least 20 political figures arrived in full strength to oversee what can only be described as a public shaming-with 10,000 onlookers and the Mumbai Police watching in silence,” he wrote.
Reflecting on the impact of the incident, Mehta said it took years for him to recover from the emotional toll.
“That incident didn’t just bruise my body. It bruised my spirit. It blunted my filmmaking, muted my courage, and silenced parts of me that took years to reclaim. No matter how deep the disagreement, no matter how sharp the provocation-violence, intimidation, and humiliation can never be justified. We owe ourselves, and each other, better. We owe ourselves dialogue, dissent, and dignity.”
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