On August 5, Annu Kapoor announced his upcoming project Hum Do Hamare Baarah, and released the first poster for the film. Annu appeared on the poster alongside the rest of the cast. Annu appears to be the head of a Muslim family, with 11 children, while his wife is pregnant. After some social media users criticized the Hum Do Hamare Baareh poster for ‘brazen Islamophobia’ and depicting Muslims as ‘the cause of population explosion,’ the film’s director, Kamal Chandra, stated that the poster featuring Annu Kapoor is ‘not objectionable at all.’ He added that it must be seen “in the right context.”
On Sunday, journalist Rana Ayyub tweeted Hum Do Humare Baarah’s poster and questioned the Central Board of Film Certification for approving the film. Her tweet stated, “How does the censor board (Central Board of Film Certification) allow a film like this, which portrays Muslims as the cause of population growth and continues the community’s relentless attack? When they use the image of a Muslim family and call it ‘Hum do Hamare Barah,’ they show their open hatred and Islamophobia.” “Bollywood’s part of a devious ploy…” wrote one Twitter user in response to her tweet.
Now, in an interview with ETimes, director Kamal Chandra has responded to the allegations leveled against the Hum do Hamare Barah poster, saying, “The poster of our film Hum Do There is absolutely nothing bad about Hamare Baarah. This must be considered in the appropriate setting. We assure you that our film is not intended to target any specific community. I am confident that when people go to see this film, they will be pleased to see one of the most pressing issues of our time, population growth, addressed in our film without prejudice or hurting the feelings of any particular community.”
The director also stated that the film will address an “important subject” such as “population explosion.” He urged people to “consider the poster and the film in their proper context.” Cinema, in my opinion, is the best medium for expressing our thoughts and feelings. I implore everyone not to make a big deal out of this… Population growth is a serious problem that has plagued our country for a long time. Our country will not be able to develop as we expect it to until we consider it seriously.
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