The trailer for Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s turn as Bal Thackeray has received mixed response. While several have praised Siddiqui’s transformation, many others have raised questions on the propaganda style of the film’s narrative.
Rang De Basanti actor Siddharth tweeted his own view on the hate speech present in the trailer against South Indians.
The actor tweeted: “Nawazuddin has repeated ‘Uthao lungi bajao pungi‘ in the film #Thackeray. Clearly hate speech against South Indians… In a film glorifying the person who said it! Are you planning to make money out of this propaganda? Stop selling hate! Scary stuff!”
Nawazuddin has repeated ‘Uthao lungi bajao pungi’ (lift the lungi and *’#$ him) in the film #Thackeray. Clearly hate speech against South Indians… In a film glorifying the person who said it! Are you planning to make money out of this propaganda? Stop selling hate! Scary stuff!
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) December 26, 2018
The film, produced by Shiv Sena member Sanjay Raut, had two trailers in Hindi and Marathi released on Thursday. While the Hindi trailer focuses on Thackeray’s views on the country, against Pakistan, and the issue of riots, the Marathi trailer shifts focus to his anti-migrants policies.
Siddharth even pointed out the irony of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a Muslim actor from Uttar Pradesh, playing the role of Thackeray, who exhorted his party members to throw Northerners out of Maharashtra.
Poetic justice is when a Muslim actor from UP gets to play the part of the revered Marathi bigot in a propaganda film.
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) December 26, 2018
Directed by Abhijit Panse, the film is scheduled to be released on 25 January 2019. Another member of the Shiv Sena has already threatened that the party will not allow any other film to be screened in theatres during the run of Thackeray.
The film is currently set to clash with Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi and the Emraan Hashmi-led Cheat India.