23rd March, Mumbai: Earlier this month, the trailer for Anubhav Sinha’s upcoming film, Bheed, was released after much anticipation following the release of the first look and teaser. The film aims to portray the harsh reality of social inequality during a time when borders were being drawn within India. However, the trailer received criticism and was subsequently removed from YouTube. A revised version was released with some edits, including the removal of a comparison between the plight of migrant workers during the COVID-19 lockdown and the partition of India, as well as changes made to the narration by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
During an interview, Anubhav Sinha was asked about his decision to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s narration from the recently re-uploaded trailer for Bheed. He responded by stating that there were more changes made to the trailer beyond that, but he did not want to detract from the film’s story, which he believed was the more compelling aspect. Sinha also acknowledged that every film faces challenges during its production.
Anubhav has responded to the negative reactions towards the trailer of his upcoming movie, which some viewers criticised as “anti-national” due to its comparison of the COVID-19 lockdown to the partition of India in 1947. In his defence, he acknowledged that he has been labelled as “anti-national” before for his past films, but he was not surprised by the backlash. Anubhav stated that he loves India and the original concept of the country, and he respects anyone who loves India more than he does. He believes that he is doing his best as a patriot, just as others have done their best for their love of the country.
An upcoming film called “Bheed” produced by Anubhav Sinha’s Benaras Mediaworks is scheduled to be released in theatres on March 24th, 2023.