Suniel Shetty, a representative of Bollywood who attended the meeting between the film industry and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Mumbai last night, pleaded with him to assist the Hindi film business in winning back the public’s respect and love. His remarks at the event last night garnered a lot of attention because Bollywood is indeed struggling with the #BoycottBollywood trend and its consequences on the film industry.
The actor privately discussed taking part in the crucial, valid conversation at a high-profile event held in Mumbai.
He said, “The event and mood were brilliant because the intention was brilliant. There were a lot of people attending the event, someone asked for an entertainment park (in UP), someone asked for more theatres etc. All I asked for (at the event) was some help for our film industry because we probably are at the worst stage that we have ever been in. I asked for help to revive the industry and get our respect back. One rotten apple doesn’t mean that the entire tree is rotten.”
“I didn’t ask for anything else. Subsidies mil jayengi, faida hoga… munafa hoga sab theek hai, lekin audience bhi toh chahiye na, woh pyaar bhi toh chaiye na. So, all I asked for was love. And there is no harm in asking this on a public platform. When you need help, you need help and whoever can help you in that journey is absolutely okay,” he added.
Suniel argued that it is past time for the #BoycottBollywood movement to fade away and for people to once more embrace Hindi cinema with open arms. He explained that such trends not only harm actors but also other creatives who work in many areas for the movies.
“Mera ek hi kehna hai ki if I do something wrong, if I project myself wrongly, then hang and ban me, but don’t ban my industry because there are 1000s of workers. After all, the film industry is not only about actors. It is about people at various levels and various stages, right from spot boys, carpenters, dancers etc. and all of them are a part of the film industry. I keep praying and wishing that our golden days come back. We have connected the world through music. At birthdays or naming ceremonies, it is our music that is played, and that is what people enjoy,” Suniel said.
Suniel did receive a response from the UP CM last night in response to the issues he brought up at the event. He said, “There were people who accused Lord Ram also, and such accusations are made everywhere. These should be disregarded, and we should proceed with optimism. The integrity of the nation and social cohesion have benefited from movies. It is admirable that Hindi films are used to promote the language. We must consider the advantages.”
Suniel says, “Yogi ji gave a very positive reaction and I am happy about that. The new beginning can happen beautifully from a state like UP, because UP and Bihar are the heartland of India when it comes to Hindi movies. Bolte hain ki UP, Bihar mein film chal jaati hai toh all-India mein ripple effect hoke film chal jaati hai. UP has always been a state where we have shot our films and enjoyed them. I became an action hero thanks to UP, Bihar. That love still continues. I needed to talk about this.”