On Tuesday, actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt were barred from entering the Mahakal temple in Ujjain after a large number of members of Bajrang Dal, and some reportedly even from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), gathered at the temple. The right-wing groups protested their presence at the temple and demanded that the couple not be permitted to offer prayers as Kapoor had claimed he was a beef eater and thus hurt sentiments of Hindus.
The crowd was chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and carrying placards that read, “Maas khaane waalon ko, joote maaro s**lon ko (Beat up meat eaters with shoes).” At one point, police had to conduct a mild lathi charge and physically remove some protesters who got too close to the couple’s car.
The couple who got married recently and are expecting their first child, had gone to the temple to seek blessings for their upcoming movie Brahmastra. They were reportedly denied entry due to Kapoor’s previous remarks about eating non vegetarian food including beef.
The controversy surrounds an interview Kapoor had given 11-years-ago to a TV channel, where he had said, “I am a mutton, paya, beef…red meat guy. I’m a big beef guy.”
Mahesh Pujari, a priest in the Mahakal temple told Times Now, “They had hurt the sentiments of Hindus on the subject of eating beef. Nobody is barred from coming to a temple, but since Hindus regard cows as our mother, the comments hurt sentiments. That is why Bajrang Dal protested.”
Now, Times of India reports that Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti (ABSS) general secretary Swami Jitendra Saraswati has hailed the Bajrang Dal and VHP for stopping the actor couple. “VHP and Bajrang Dal did a good job stopping ‘beef-eater’ Ranbir and Alia from entering the temple of the followers of Sanatan Dharma,” the publication quoted him as saying.
The right-wing trolls have been active on social media as well, with #Urduwood and #BoycottBrahmastra trending on Twitter. Many of them also posted images of scenes from Kapoor’s movies that they deem objectionable to Hindus.
Alia – “Don’t watch me”☑️
Her mom – “I’ll be much happier in PAKISTAN”?
Mahesh bhatt -“Try to declare 26/11 as saffron terrorism”?
Ranbir kapoor -“I love beef”❌AGAR AB BHI AAP INKI MOVIE DEKHE TO SHAME ON YOU
‼️SHOW❗UNITY‼️ #BoycottBollywood#Urduwood #BoycottBrahmastra pic.twitter.com/Vrx1CcK3Ys
— BOYCOTT BOLLYWOOD (@BoycottBolywod) August 30, 2022
#BoycottBramhashtra for Hindu Haters !#BoycottBramhashtra for #Ranbir Loves to Eat Beef !#BoycottBollywood #BoycottbollywoodForever #BoycottBollywoodMafia #BoycottbollywoodCompletely #brahmastra #Brahmashtra #RanbirKapoor #AliaBhatt #RanbirAlia #RanbirBeefBacklash pic.twitter.com/72MNvVzuB8
— ???? Ⓥ (@itzgirii) September 8, 2022
And liberal voices on social media had this to say:
धंधो छे!
The profitable business of ‘Boycott Bollywood’ ?????? pic.twitter.com/F1iUj5GZEp— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) September 7, 2022
Bollywood is facing the heat for not speaking up enough against the growing hate and divisive trends. When the atmosphere gets vitiated, none is spared. Hate consumes everyone. Also, the ones instrumental in spreading it. #Brahmashtra #RanbirBeefBacklash
— Sayema (@_sayema) September 7, 2022
Meanwhile, the movie Brahmastra has garnered record ticket sales for its opening weekend.
‘BRAHMĀSTRA’ ADVANCE BOOKING: FANTASTIC RESPONSE… #Brahmāstra advance booking status… *OFFICIAL STATEMENT* from #Inox… Expect a BIGGG START at the #BO. pic.twitter.com/4IezY8zhLz
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 7, 2022
Were you Lucky enough to grab your tickets to #Brahmastra? With over 1,00,000 tickets sold so far, the Astraverse is truly set to be an epic fantasy that breaks the barriers of film-making!
Advance bookings now open! https://t.co/SG8z3ojsYg pic.twitter.com/YcFjXmnWk4
— P V R C i n e m a s (@_PVRCinemas) September 5, 2022
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