Bhojpuri actress Sabiha Shaikh, popularly known as ‘Rani Chatterjee’, has hit out at the makers of the upcoming movie ’72 Hoorain’. The film, directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, exposes the dark face of Islamic terrorism from 9/11 to 26/11.
Shaikh was reportedly unimpressed after watching the trailer of the much-anticipated movie. She claimed that such films are made so that people in society could remain divided along religious lines.
The actress alleged that filmmakers are now encashing people’s emotions for minting money. “The depiction of the Quran in this movie is wrong. Quran does not teach to take anyone’s life. If the director or producer of 72 Hoorain had read the Quran, then, they would not have used such dialogues” she said.
While comparing ’72 Hoorain’ with ‘Adipurush’, she accused the makers of the movie of distortion. “After ‘The Kerala Story’ became a hit, people started to encash this trend. Hatred is being spread either through politics or films. The general public has nothing to do with this,” she claimed.
Sabiha Shaikh alleged, “What do you want to achieve by showcasing such hateful films to the new generation? Where does Quran say to kill people? Can you show it to me? A wrong message is being sent (to the society). This is part of the agenda to spread hate.”
“I am a Muslim. But will you call me and my family members, a terrorist? The Kerala Files (sic) showed that girls are being forcibly converted to Islam. In the South, people are being converted to Christianity. But none wants to talk about it?” she further claimed.
“You are making an anti-Muslim film. Given the current situation (in the country), the film (72 Hoorain) is likely to do well. But who will compensate for the hate that you will spread in this process,” the Bhojpuri actress claimed.
How Sabiha Shaikh became Rani Chatterjee
During an interview with Hindustan in June 2020, she opened up about her journey from Sabiha Shaikh to her screen name ‘Rani Chatterjee.’
The actress recounted, “While shooting for my debut film ‘Sasura Bada Paisawala’, I was at the Gorakhnath temple and there was a scene where I had to hit my head near the idol of Lord Shiva.”
“At that time, many media personnel were present. The director felt that if people get to know my real name, then, they may not allow us to shoot the particular scene. It could have been detrimental to the movie. So, the director asked me to use the name of ‘Rani’ (similar to a character in the movie),” she added.
Shaikh informed, “Someone asked producer Sudhakar Pandey about my caste name. In those days, the name of Rani Mukherjee was popular. So, he came up with the name ‘Rani Chatterjee.'”
She concluded, “After the name was published in newspapers, my parents were angry with the development…The name turned out to be great for my career.