Ashram is about a conman. He could be from any religion. It is not about maligning Hinduism. Be it Hinduism, Christianity or Islam. Aapko satark rahena hai. Religion is an extremely touchy matter in this country. People who have faith in religion need to be taken care of because people can mislead you”
In October this year, members of a right-wing group said Prakash Jha‘s web series ‘Ashram 3’ starring Bobby Deol was an assault on Hinduism and they will not allow its filming till the title was changed.The director’s face was smeared with ink when a group of Bajrang Dal members went on a rampage on the set of his web series being shot in Bhopal. The crew was chased down, few even beaten up.
Months after the attack, noted actor Chandan Roy Sanyal who plays a significant role in the series recalled the horror and how violence isn’t the answer for any sort of disagreement.
He told Bombay Times in an exclusive chat, “I almost got beaten up. I had posted my picture on Instagram about having coffee and jaisehi Bobby Deol aaye, log maar peet karne aa gaye. Main vanity van mein ghus gaya, switched off the lights, held a rod in my hand for self defence. I was scared for my life. The series is not about religion but a conman. He could be from any religion. Religion is an extremely touchy matter in this country. People who have faith in religion need to be taken care of because people can mislead you. Log Apna parivar nyochavar kar dete hai in logo ke peeche. Vishwas bohot badi cheej hai. Kisipe bhi nahi rakhna chahiye. Wohi Prakashi Ka Sandesh hai iss series mein. It is not about any religion being proven wrong or Hinduism being maligned. Be it Hinduism, Christianity or Islam. Aap satark raho.”
He elaborated, “The day it happened, prakashji just wiped his face (they had thrown black ink on him) and got back to shooting. I have huge respect for him for that. He didn’t let the attack dampen his spirit. We shot till 2 am in the morning that day. Aap kisiko maar nahi sakte. Please criticise as much as you want. Don’t attack physically. Hinduism teaches tolerance.”
