Upcoming Hindi movie Hamare Baarah’s makers have filed a complaint at Versova Police Station in Mumbai after the cast and crew of the movie have been constantly receiving death and rape threats online from Islamists.
About the complaint, the film’s producers’ team said, “Not only us but our family members and friends are also receiving death threats. But the police have assured us that you are in Maharashtra, nothing wrong will happen to you.”
The film, which is set for release on June 7, presents a bold narrative and sheds light on the challenges endured by Muslim women as they are relegated to the stature of inferior beings and treated similarly to baby-making machines in their households. However, it has miffed the extremists who have retorted to issuing threats of beheadings to intimidate the film’s director Kamal Chandra and actors Annu Kapoor and Aditi Dhiman.
The followers of radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan which was founded by the late Khadim Hussain Rizvi and Indian extremist Mufti Salman Azhari are using social media, particularly Instagram, to threaten the filmmakers with death. Videos depicting brutal beheadings akin to those carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) accompanied by Islamic hymns and verses were shared to warn the artists.
The radicals even posted footage of actual beheadings with ISIS flags and “Allah hu Akbar” to instill fear in the hearts of the cast and crew and warned that the director would meet the same fate if the movie was released. The pictures of the makers of the film have been edited to use in such clips. Cyberattacks have also been threatened against Zee Music for the movie trailer. The film producer’s phone number, email address, IP address, MAC address and tower details have all been leaked by these radicals on Instagram.
“Hamare Baarah” venture featuring a stellar cast including Annu Kapoor, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Manoj Joshi in prominent roles is set to release on 7th June next month. It recently premiered at the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival. It was initially called “Hum Do Humare Baraah” but the name was changed as per a directive by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).