The controversy surrounding Netflix's new show 'Sacred Games' over a line critical of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi refuses to die. The show got embroiled in a controversy as complaints were filed against Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Netflix and the makers of the show, by two Congress men, for "abusing” former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

 

Rahul Gandhi, reacted to the entire fiasco. Batting for freedom of expression, he said, it is "fundamental democratic right”. He added that a show and its characters cannot change views of about his father and that he disapproves of censorship. Here’s what he tweeted.

BJP/RSS believe the freedom of expression must be policed & controlled. I believe this freedom is a fundamental democratic right.

My father lived and died in the service of India. The views of a character on a fictional web series can never change that.#SacredGames

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 14, 2018

 Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has appreciated Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s reaction to the controversy.

"That’s a yay,” Kashyap, a co-director of the show, wrote on Twitter on Saturday after Gandhi said he believed in freedom of expression.

That’s a yay ... https://t.co/umv05MLJXc

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) July 14, 2018

Actor Swara Bhaskar also lauded Gandhi’s reaction to the controversy. "It is impressive that a mainstream politician like @RahulGandhi is taking this clear & progressive stand on freedom of expression & censorship. Also it’s gracious & mature that he is able to set aside the personal for the larger goal of democratic rights. #CreditWhereDue,” Swara wrote in her tweet.

 

 

But director Madhur Bhandarkar reacted to the tweet too, posting a video, which he claimed was "a compilation of the harrowing experience" he faced around the release of his film 'Indu Sarkar' that had been seen to be critical of Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi - Rahul Gandhi's grandmother.

Bhandarkar alleged Congress party workers "tried to police & control my FOE (freedom of expression)"

 

 

Dear @RahulGandhi ji here is a compilation of the harrowing experience I had when ur party workers tried to police & control my FOE during my film #InduSarkar I was hounded at various cities to 5 star hotel to the censor board office. I requested 4 ur support but u didn't. pic.twitter.com/1y93DgVOXm

— Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) July 15, 2018

 

The controversy over the web series started when a complaint was filed by Rajiv Sinha, a Congress member from West Bengal, alleging that the series was "misrepresenting facts during his (Rajiv Gandhi) regime".

A plea was filed in Delhi High Court seeking to remove questionable portions from the series.

Produced by the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Entertainment's Phantom Films joint venture, 'Sacred Games' is based on Vikram Chandra's 2006 thriller novel.

The series stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte in the lead roles.

 

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