JNU accuses Anupam Kher of lying, misleading; says varsity didn’t block screening of his film

Anupam Kher accused JNU of showing double standards in exercising freedom of expression and refusing to screen his film 'Buddha In A Traffic Jam', but the university said that they never received any such request.

Edited By: India.com News Desk

Published: March 12, 2016, 8:44 AM IST

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New Delhi, March 12: The Jawaharlal University has accused veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher of lying about the alleged blocking of screening of one of his films. The University has said that they never blocked any film screening and that the actor was trying to misleading people. Challenging the actor to show proof of his allegations, the University said on Saturday that they had might have blocked the screening due to full slots in the semester.

Professor of Film Studies at JNU, Ira Bhaskra told India Today, “How can we block a film when we don’t even know what it is about?” She also said that the University had blocked the screening due to unavailable slots and that they had already said that they would consider screening the film in the next semester. The students’ union of the university which organises film screenings frequently also denied having being approached by Kher. Also Read: Anupam Kher vs Intolerance Gang: Padmabhushan Award winner rips apart Justice Ashok Ganguly and Congress on JNU issue!

Kher had accused the University of showing double standards in excercising freedom of expression in the campus by accusing the students of not screening his film “Buddha in a traffic jam”.  ”Why are only certain people allowed to exercise their freedom of expression at JNU? They should practice what they are preaching. If they’re talking about freedom of speech and expression, then they should follow it also,” the actor said. He alleged that he was told that film cannot be screened given the current atmosphere of the University.

Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the 2014 film called “Buddha Stuck In A Traffic Jam” also stars Arunoday Singh, Mahi Gill, Pallavi Joshi, besides Kher. Kher, a Padmabhushan awardee, made the comments after the film’s director Vivek Agnihotri took to Twitter saying that the varsity did not give permission to screen the film. The veteran actor said he plays a professor who transforms the minds of students and incites them to become the change.

(With agency inputs)