Approximately 103 filmmakers from across the nation have united to appeal to the public-- to vote the current BJP government out of power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. With the title, ‘Save Democracy’ the statement was released today which read, "Fascism threatens to strike us hard with all its might if we don't choose wisely in the coming Lok Sabha election. Period."
The list of filmmakers includes veteran documentarian Anand Patwardhan, National Award winner Vetri Maran, Malayalam producer/director Aashiq Abu, festival director Bina Paul and other well-known independent filmmakers such as Gurvinder Singh, Devashish Makhija, Pushpendra Singh, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan and Kabir Singh Chowdhry.
The statement read:
"A country polarised along religious lines isn't the India we have known. Besides, the BJP and its allies have failed miserably in keeping their election promises. They are now using mob lynching and cow vigilantism to split the country communally. Marginalizing Dalits and Muslims is the name of the game.
They are spreading their hate campaigns with the help of the internet and social media. Patriotism is their trump card. Any individual or institution that raises the slightest dissent is labeled ‘anti-national’. ‘Patriotism’ is how they grow their vote bank. Let us not forget that some of our eminent writers and media persons lost their lives because they dared to dissent," the statement read.
They appeal to the country to "choose a government that respects the Constitution of India, protects our freedom of speech and expression, and refrains from all kinds of censorship".
The statement was published on https://www.artistuniteindia.com/ website. Head over to the website to read the statement.