MNS tells Bollywood to use 'Mumbai' not 'Bombay', stop 'distortion' of Marathi culture

Sat, Jul 5 02:44 AM

The Maharashtra Navanirman Sena's pro-Marathi campaign has turned its attention on Bollywood. Raj Thackeray's two-year-old outifit is asking filmmakers not to refer to Mumbai as Bombay in their productions and also not portray Maharashtrians in what they say is a distorted fashion.

The Maharashtra Navanirman Cine Workers Association, a union of over 1,500 people from the industry including junior artistes, spot boys and beauticians, has drafted a letter with its demands and will send it after Thackeray's approval, office bearers said.

Pointing out that a number of films, including a recently released Bollywood flick, used Bombay instead of Mumbai despite the change in the city's nomenclature, Manoj Chavan, chief organiser of the MNS labour wing, said producers and directors would be asked to use Mumbai instead.

At times, Bollywood movies also tended to project Marathi culture in a "distorted" way, he said. "Marathi culture is presented in a comic way sometimes, with Maharashtrians shown as maid servants on screen. This vulgarity and distortion must be done away with and the depiction of Marathi culture and Maharashtrians must be done in a proper way," said Chavan.

The MNS labour wing had shot off a similar missive recently to industries in the state asking them to employ locals in at least 80 per cent of the jobs.

"We are very serious on the issue of Marathi and will not compromise anywhere. The party is firm on the existence and protection of Marathi, and we will proceed on these lines," added Chavan.

Raj Thackeray is no stranger to tinsel town and boasts of friends from the Marathi film fraternity. Marathi film industry names such as director Kedar Shinde and actors Bharat Jadhav, Vinay Yedekar and Atul Parchure are also associated with his party.

"There is nothing wrong in insisting that Mumbai be used instead of Bombay in movies," said Yedekar, who is part of the MNS cultural wing along with Parchure, adding that the change in nomenclature was "official" and had been approved by the Centre. "What is wrong in having a sense of pride about Marathi," he asked.

Bollywood filmmakers contacted by The Indian Express refused to comment on the MNS demand saying they did not want to be dragged into a controversy and face the repercussions. "Let them write to us first, we will then decide how to respond," one prominent producer-director said on condition of anonymity.

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