"Did Not Ask For A Ban": Director Hansal Mehta Clarifies After Slamming Cricketer Rishabh Pant's New Ad
Director Hansal Mehta has issued a clarification after slamming Rishabh Pant's new advertisement.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta triggered a huge storm by calling cricketer Rishabh Pant's 'Dream 11' advertisement as "disgusting and direspectful". In the ad, the wicket keeper-batter first questions on what could have been his alternate career and then the video cuts to the cricketer dressed as a classical singer, who goes on the stage and positions himself near the mic as a wicket keeper.
He then starts singing and immediately snaps out, saying: "Thank God maine mera dream follow kia (Thank God I followed my dream."
Director Hansal Mehta did not find the advertisement any good, and he went on to term it as "disgusting and disrespectful."
"This is a disgusting and disrespectful commercial. Pimp yourself but not at the cost of ridiculing art and it’s rich traditions. I demand that @Dream11 pulls this down," he tweeted.
However, the 'Shahid' director has now deleted this tweet, and he has come up with a clarification, saying he never asked for any sort of "ban".
"I find the TV commercial terribly distasteful and disparaging. I did not ask for a ban for god’s sake. To those protectors of free speech outraged at my outrage - yes asking the concerned company to pull down ads was an overtly emotional/angry response and I gladly admit that," he said in one tweet.
"To those calling me names from both the abusive fans to the IT cell trolls to the woke liberals to some senior friends who take indirect digs at me - chill. I don’t get the ad’s humour. Maybe you do. Glad you have such an evolved sense of humour," he wrote further.
I find the TV commercial terribly distasteful and disparaging. I did not ask for a ban for god’s sake. To those protectors of free speech outraged at my outrage - yes asking the concerned company to pull down ads was an overtly emotional/angry response and I gladly admit that.
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) December 10, 2022
Hansal Mehta, known for delivering hard-hitting cinema, has made movies like 'Shahid' and 'Aligarh'. He had also directed 'Scam 1992' and the show became an instant hit on Sony Liv.
He is now directing a crime thriller starring Kareena Kapoor Khan.
