Hansal Mehta responds to allegations of “exploiting tragedy” by making ‘Faraaz’

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s upcoming movie ‘Faraaz’ has stirred quite a controversy. The upcoming film is based on the 2016 terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh. T-Series and Benares Media Works jointly produce the movie in association with Mahana Films. The movie is set to release in cinema halls on February 3.
Mehta recently unveiled the trailer, prompting mixed reactions from Twitterati. However, a particular Twitter user’s comment prompted a response from Mehta himself. The person wrote, “You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a shameless person. You are exploiting a horrifying tragedy for profit without asking the permission of victims family. Why don’t you make film about incidents from your own country.”
Hansal responded by sharing a link to an article, and wrote, “Hopefully this piece gives you the chance to take a more balanced perspective on the issue. Please read.” The mentioned article spoke about “artistic freedom”, “allowing grief to permeate into censorship” and “cancel culture.” It also discussed how the attack was related to many “larger national and global trends.”
Earlier last week, the Delhi High Court heard a plea by the family members of the victims of the terrorist attack against the release of the film, the Delhi High Court asked the parties to sit together to resolve their differences. Mothers of two victims objected to the film's slated release on the grounds of invasion of privacy.
‘Faraaz’ marks the debut of Zahan Kapoor, the grandson of the late Shashi Kapoor. The film also features Aditya Rawal, the son of actors Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Rawal. The film had its world premiere at the 2022 edition of the BFI London Film Festival. The movie also features Juhi Babbar, Aamir Ali, Sachin Lalwani, Palak Lalwani, and Reshham Sahaani in supporting roles.