Kota controversy...

…Director of Mardaani 2 Gopi Puthran clears the air

Recently, there was a protest by a certain section for showing the city of Kota in bad light in the movie Mardaani 2. Clearing the air, Gopi Puthran, writer-director of Mardaani 2, says, “Mardaani 2 addresses a huge societal issue of rape and the rise of horrific crimes committed by juveniles in India. One is deeply moved when such shocking incidents happen and as a writer, I wanted to bring it to light. I was troubled by many incidents that took place across our country in the last four years and the complex nature of those crimes left me shocked. As a human being, I felt fear after reading about these incidents because it could happen to my family or people that I know, so I wanted to do my bit to make as many people aware of the threat posed by the nameless, faceless, young and underage boys, who are resorting to such violence.”

Gopi adds, “Despite all the inspiration, Mardaani 2 at the end of the day is a film and not a documentary, and it should be seen as that. Kota has been used by us as the setting for this film only. We are in no way suggesting that such events or incidents happen in Kota and there was no intention to tarnish the reputation of the city. If this has hurt or upset the sentiments of the residents of the city, we are deeply regretful. We realise that since the trailer says it’s ‘Inspired By True Events’ and our film is based in Kota, it could be open to miscommunication. YRF has decided that we will remove the words ‘Inspired By True Events’ from the film to ensure that there is no further room for misinterpretation. We shot Mardaani 2 extensively in Kota and only received love from the people as well as all authorities of the city.”