Anurag Kashyap row: Director apologises to Brahmin community, ensures he will work on his anger

by IANS |

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap has issued an apology following an uproar over his remarks on the Brahmin community. On Tuesday, the ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ filmmaker took to his Instagram, and penned the apology, and assured that he will be very careful with his expression and words going forward.

He wrote in Hindi, “I forgot my limits while answering someone in anger. And bad-mouthing the entire Brahmin community, the same community of which all the people have been in my life, are still there and contribute a lot, they all have been hurt. My family is hurt. Many intellectuals, whom I respect, are hurt by my anger and the way I speak. By saying such a thing myself, I diverted my own thoughts from the issue”.

He further mentioned, “I sincerely apologise to the Brahmin community to whom I did not want to say this, but in a fit of rage wrote a nasty comment while replying to someone. I apologise to all my fellow colleagues, to my family and to the society for the way I spoke. I'll work on it. I'll work on my anger to ensure this doesn’t happen again. And if I have to talk about the issue, I will use the right words. I hope you do forgive me”.

The backlash erupted after Anurag made a comment while responding to criticism of ‘Phule’, which is a biopic based on social reformers Jyotirao Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule. The remark, interpreted by some as casteist, sparked outrage online and triggered calls for legal action.

Following the controversy, Kashyap's daughter, Aaliyah, along with his family and colleagues, received rape and death threats from online trolls. The director also faced legal action as an FIR was filed against him in Jaipur for the use of abusive language towards the community.