Anurag Kashyap in trouble? Complaint filed with Mumbai Police over controversial remark against Brahmins

A complaint was filed against filmmaker Anurag Kashyap over his ‘derogatory and casteist’ remarks against Brahmins in connection with the release of the upcoming movie ‘Phule’.

The filmmaker found himself in the middle of a huge controversy after his comments, which irked many on social media. It prompted the head of BJP Maharashtra Social Media and Legal Advisory Department to lodge a complaint against him with the Mumbai Police on Friday.

In his complaint, Ashutosh Dubey, an advocate, has sought to file an FIR against Anurag Kashyap for his “derogatory and casteist remark”.

Dubey is the head of Maharashtra BJP's Social Media and Legal Advisory Department.

Dubey shared a copy of his complaint filed with the Mumbai Police.

“I have officially submitted a complaint to @MumbaiPolice seeking registration of an FIR against @anuragkashyap72 for his derogatory and casteist remark against the Brahmin community,” he said in a post on X, with the images of his complaint and screenshots of Kashyap's remarks.

“Such hate speech cannot be tolerated in a civil society. The law must take its course,” he added.

Dubey alleged that Kashyap had made a hateful remark against the Brahmin community.

According to a screenshot shared by him in a separate post, Anurag Kashyap can be seen making the controversial comment.

Livemint could not verify or find the said comment, which was apparently made on Instagram under Kashyap's own post on the ‘Phule’ controversy.

As per the images of the complaint shared by Dubey, the complaintant has sought to file an FIR against Anurag Kashyap under Sections 194 (1), 195 and 356 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Tagging Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in another post, Dubey said one should deal with hateful content in a stern way.

“As a member of the Brahmin community, I am deeply offended by this derogatory and hateful comment made by Anurag Kashyap… Such a statement is not only casteist but also incites hatred and violates the principles of dignity and equality protected under our Constitution. I request @MumbaiPolice to take immediate cognizance of this caste-hate speech and register an FIR under relevant sections of the BNS. No one is above the law, and such divisive, hateful content must be dealt with sternly,” he wrote.

Anurag Kashyap slams ‘Phule’ protests

Anurag Kashyap on Thursday criticised the protests around the film “Phule”, a biopic on social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, questioning why films depicting caste issues get banned in India.

The director also criticised the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for modifications suggested to “Phule”.

The biopic, featuring Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa in the roles of the reformist couple, was set for release last week but it will now arrive in theatres on April 25.

After the trailer of “Phule” was unveiled online on April 10, some members of the Brahmin community raised objections, stating that they’ve been portrayed in a bad light.

In a series of posts on Instagram, Kashyap said the very first play of his career was based on the lives of Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule.

“If casteism didn’t exist in this country, why did they need to fight against it,” he asked.