The 55th International Film Festival is being organized in Goa. In a program of the Producers Association in the film festival, the trailer of the film Chola, directed by Atul Garg, was launched, which led to a ruckus. Karni Sena protested against the film at the event itself and accused the filmmaker of insulting Sanatan Dharma. In a conversation with Dainik Bhaskar, Karni Sena’s Mumbai president Surjeet Singh Rathore has said that if the objectionable scenes are not removed, he will not allow the film to be released. Actually, in the trailer it is shown that the hero takes off the saffron clothes from his body and sets them on fire. He also sets fire to Rudraksh garland and Tulsi. As soon as these scenes were shown in the film festival, Karni Sena started protesting. Expressing objection, Karni Sena’s Mumbai president Surjeet Singh Rathore and Rajesh Jain came on the stage and said, ‘Burning saffron clothes and Rudraksh garland is an insult to Sanatan Dharma. Which will not be tolerated at all. Leave alone the film, we will not even allow its trailer to be shown anywhere.’ Mumbai president of Karni Sena Surjeet Singh Rathore told Dainik Bhaskar, ‘The trailer was launched in front of me, in which burning of Rudraksha and saffron cloth was shown. Being a representative of Karni Sena and being a Hindu, I told them how can you show this. How can you burn saffron cloth.’ ‘What do you want to show. They told me that our story is something else, but I said, whatever the story is, we have nothing to do with it, how can you show burning of saffron cloth. I immediately stopped the promo. There was the president of IMPA, Manoj Joshi, Hemant Pandey and other artists. As soon as I asked them how can they watch this, being a Hindu you are insulting Sanatan Dharma, they had to run away from there immediately.’ Nothing is bigger than Sanatan – Surjit Singh Rathod When Dainik Bhaskar asked Surjit Singh Rathod if he had reached there on the invitation of director Atul Garg, he replied, ‘Yes, Atul Garg had invited me and I had also received an invitation from IMPA, because I am also a producer. I met Atul Garg there. He told me that there is a screening of my film, so I said that if he is making a film for Sanatan, then let’s see it. When I saw him, he did disgusting things. It doesn’t matter if you are friends, nothing is bigger than Sanatan.’ I would have killed Atul Garg right there – Surjit Singh Rathod He further said, ‘In Jawaan, Deepika had worn only saffron clothes. Bhansali is still okay, I would have killed Atul Garg right there. We cannot tolerate the insult of sages and saints.’ Surjit had also talked to director Atul Garg after the uproar. Regarding this, he said, ‘He talked to me and said that this was the writer’s story, we did not intend to show it like this, but I said what do you mean by did not intend. Either you want publicity. The film will be banned or shelved if all the scenes are not removed. If you want to show it, then immerse it in the river Ganga, all sins are washed away there. Now you are burning the cloth, tearing the saffron. What hypocrisy are they doing.’ Surjeet was asked what could be the intention of creating controversy by adding such objectionable scenes, then he said, ‘I don’t know what their intention is, but the biggest irony is that why do the people of Goa Film Festival promote such things. They should watch such trailers first. Prasoon Joshi is sitting as the chairman of the censor board, he does not know about history. Does he not know that our Sanatan Dharma is being insulted. This is going to become a Hindu country and these people are insulting it. People from outside have come to the International Film Festival, big artists have come, what will they say that there is no value of saints in India. What will happen if the scene is not removed from the trailer? Surjit said on this, ‘If the scene is not removed, I will break his office. If it is removed, it is fine for them, we will have 20-25 saints for them, they will be shown the trailer. If they say that they have an objection, then we will not let the film release.’ Karni Sena issued a press note demanding the film to be boycotted. After the ruckus at the trailer launch event, Karni Sena’s Mumbai president Surjit Singh Rathod issued a press note on behalf of the Sena and demanded the film to be boycotted. During the film festival, the trailer of the film Chola was released in the yacht of IMPA (Indian Motion Picture Producers Association), at that time senior actor Manoj Joshi was also present. As soon as Karni Sena started protesting, seeing the heat of the atmosphere, Manoj Joshi left the event. Let us tell you that the film Chola is the story of a young professor who goes to an ashram to find peace. He wears saffron robes and starts living like a sadhu, but when he does not find peace, he burns his clothes and rosary and becomes a professor again.
