Question:
You protested against the film Vishwaroopam. And when a cartoon insulting the Prophet ﷺ was published in America, protests were held in Chennai. They say crores of rupees worth of government property were destroyed during those protests. Is that the peaceful path?
Answer:
Muslims opposed that film. Why did they oppose it? Because in that film Muslims were portrayed as terrorists. Scenes were shown where people shout “Allahu Akbar” while cutting throats, saying “Bismillah” while committing murder, and showing Muslims as violent extremists.
When such scenes are repeatedly shown in cinema, social harmony gets damaged. Already Muslims face discrimination in society. There are places where people say:
- “I will not rent a house to a Muslim.”
- “I will not give a job to a Muslim.”
When such stereotypes are repeatedly reinforced through films, that discrimination becomes even worse.
Therefore, Muslims said: “Why are you portraying us like this again and again? Stop the film unless those offensive scenes are removed.”
Muslims did not go and destroy theatres. They simply requested the government to stop the film’s release until those scenes were removed.
At that time Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. She examined the issue and said that certain scenes in the film hurt the feelings of a religious community. Therefore, she imposed a temporary ban on the film.
Later discussions were held between the filmmakers and Muslim representatives. The filmmakers agreed to remove certain scenes. After those scenes were removed, the film was released. After that, no one opposed it. So what violence are they talking about?
The claim that crores of rupees worth of property was destroyed is completely false. Someone must have given incorrect information to the leaders of the Hindu Munnani.
Protest Against the Cartoon Insulting the Prophet ﷺ
Another accusation is that when a cartoon insulting the Prophet ﷺ was published in America, Muslims protested in Chennai and caused damage.
What actually happened? A protest was organized condemning the insult to the Prophet ﷺ. It was said to be held “near the American Consulate,” but in reality, the police stopped the protesters about five kilometers away from the consulate.
Thousands of people gathered there. They raised their voices in protest peacefully. After expressing their protest, they dispersed peacefully.
There was not even a single incident of property damage.
In fact, the police themselves appreciated the organizers. They said: “You gathered thousands of people and conducted the protest in an orderly and peaceful manner.” That is the truth.
Comparison with the Padmavathi / Padmavat Film Protests
Now look at another situation. Recently a film called Padmavathi (Padmavat) was about to be released.
In Rajasthan, huge riots took place against that film. Theatres were attacked and vandalized.
Why? Because the film portrayed Rani Padmini, a Rajput queen, as having romantic feelings for the Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji.
The Rajput community protested, saying: “How can you show a Hindu Rajput queen loving a Muslim king? This is false.” They said such a portrayal insults their history.
Now, if a community feels hurt by something in a film, they have the right to protest. They can demand that such scenes be removed. A film should not create communal conflict. Freedom of expression does not mean hurting the religious feelings of people.
If something insults Hindus, Muslims will also say: “Why are you making such films unnecessarily just for business?”
Threats Against the Actress
But look at what happened during the Padmavathi controversy.
Some people announced: “If someone cuts off the actress’s head and brings it to us, we will give 10 crore rupees.” Think about that. The actress is only an actress. Acting is her profession. In films actors play all kinds of roles like:
- Muslim roles
- Hindu roles
- Police roles
- Criminal roles
They are simply acting according to the script.
But in this case, they said: “If you bring her head, we will give ten crores.”
This situation became so serious that even Vice President Venkaiah Naidu publicly expressed concern.
He asked: “If you don’t like a film, say you don’t like it. Take legal action. File a petition. But how can you say ‘we will cut off someone’s head’? Is that acceptable in a democracy?”
When even the Vice President of the country had to question such behavior, it shows how extreme the situation had become.
Now ask yourselves: Did Muslims ever announce a 10 crore bounty for someone’s head because of a film?
Did Muslims threaten to cut someone’s head? No. Muslims simply expressed their dissatisfaction and requested the government to act. That is all.
False Accusations About Violence in Chennai
They say: “Crores of rupees worth of property was destroyed in Chennai.”
Where did this happen? There was no such violence.
Muslims only requested the government to stop the film until offensive scenes were removed. The government imposed a temporary ban. The filmmakers removed those scenes. The film was released peacefully.
That is the entire story. But false information has been circulated and based on that misinformation people are asking these questions.