Padmavati: IFTDA writes to actor-turned-MPs to bring up debate in Winter Session

While several politicians and actors refuse to associate themselves with the Padmavati debate, the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) is doing everything it can to garner support for the film. According to reports, the body has written to multiple actor-turned-MPs to bring up the raging issue in the Winter Session of Parliament. [caption id=“attachment_4211703” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Image from Twitter/@vmusicmum[/caption] The president of the association, Ashoke Pandit tells Mid-Day, “We have written to the actors-turned-MPs because they are a product of this industry. They have to take a stand for us. By keeping quiet, we are breeding cultural terrorism. Silence is going to cost us heavy. What next? Ten people from fringe groups say ban a movie and state CMs go out to support it. This is not how governance functions.” Letters have reportedly been sent out to many actors such as Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Bachchan, Rekha, Manoj Tiwari and Raj Babbar among others. Firstpost had earlier reported  that the IFTDA, along with 20 other bodies of the film and television industry, is planning a 15-minute blackout in support of the film and “to protect the right to freedom of expression of creative individuals”. Confirming the plan, Pandit told IANS, “We will keep showing our support for Padmavati and SLB [Sanjay Leela Bhansali] because it is the basic right of a creative person to tell a story in his own way.” With inputs from IANS.