Mumbai, Jan 13: In response to Omar Abdullah, the vice-president of the National Conference, who criticised the show’s filming in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly complex, director Hansal Mehta stated that India is viewed as a “unfriendly shooting location” because of this “unwelcoming attitude.” Former J&K chief minister Abdullah slammed the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday for permitting the film “Maharani,” starring Huma Qureshi, to be filmed inside the assembly building, calling it a “complete disgrace.” Mehta, who has created critically acclaimed television shows including “Scam 1992″ and “Scoop,” responded to Abdullah’s post on X by labelling it “regressive” and “disrespectful.”Why does it feel so bad? How does the “mother of democracy” or democracy itself suffer from the filming of a drama? The director stated, “Everyone on a movie set, including background actors and actors (who you refer to as “extras”), is a citizen of this nation and has the right to work with dignity. They also deserve respect and understanding, at least from someone as intelligent as you. Mehta further stated that performers and filmmakers are permitted to shoot in public spaces, government buildings, and council rooms across the globe. “We frequently prefer shooting abroad because of this inhospitable attitude, which makes India seem like an undesirable shooting location. The director remarked, “I have a lot of respect for you, but this feels really rude, backwards, and narrow-minded.Subhash Kapoor’s film “Maharani” was filmed in June of last year within the Jammu assembly building. The show draws inspiration from the political upheavals in Bihar during the 1990s, when Lalu Prasad, the then-chief minister, appointed his wife Rabri Devi as his successor while embroiled in the scandalous fodder fraud. Abdullah wrote on X, describing it as “the genuine face of ‘the mother of democracy’,” where actors and extras use it as a set for TV shows, while elected representatives of the people from all parties, religions, ethnicities, and sections of J&K once legislated on subjects of great importance.” The speaker expressed his dismay over the “awful state of affairs caused by the BJP-led government in J&K, which has reduced the symbol of democracy, where they once sat and governed.” “They even have a fake CM coming out of an office I was privileged to occupy for six years,” Abdullah stated in his subsequent letter. What a complete shame! The Governor disbanded the J-K legislative assembly on December 20, 2018. Since August 5, 2019, when J-K and Ladakh were divided into two Union territories, there have not been any assembly elections in J-K. Additionally, the Centre revoked Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave the former state a special status. Ladakh is an assembly-free Union Territory.
