Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has always been vocal about the politics of the country and ills that prevail in Indian society. His filmography has also tried to comment on some of the issues that affect the social fabric at large, Gulaal and Black Friday  among others.

On Saturday, the acclaimed director quit Twitter by citing threats that his family has received for his remarks on social media. In the wake of the revocation of Article 370, and the division of J-K into two separate union territories, Anurag along with many other artistes from across the creative spectrum criticised the move led by the BJP government.

Advertisement

Anurag’s last tweets before he deleted his account have been doing the rounds on social media. “When your parents start to get calls and your daughter gets online threats then you know no one wants to talk. There is going to be no reason or rationale. Thugs will rule and thuggery will be the new way of life. Congratulations everyone on this new India and hope you thrive,” he wrote.

“When I won’t be allowed to speak my mind without fear, I would rather not speak at all,” he added.

Citing the fact that when threats from the virtual space shift to reality and “reach your family, it’s time to call it off,” he told Firstpost, on deleting his account on Twitter. “When threats go beyond the online [world] and reach your family, it’s time to call it off. I wish the best to this country and people, and everyone celebrating this new India. Unko mubarak ho. I will go be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand and do my work,” he said.

This is not the first time Kashyap has highlighted threats against his family. Earlier in May, as the Bhartiya Janata Party won an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha polls 2019 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned for the second term; Kashyap wrote to the PM sharing abusive rape comments his teenage daughter received online by self-professed Modi followers.

Anurag Kashyap and Article 15 fame filmmaker Anubhav Sinha have been vocal about the revocation of Article 370 on Twitter.

Kashyap was also among the 49 intellectuals and public personalities who wrote to the PM last month about the rise of lynchings against minority groups in the country.

Following the move, fans and netizens have reacted in varying ways. While some have supported Anurag Kashyap, stating that this marks an end of ‘freedom of expression’, others have criticised him for his comments, and some have just posted memes regarding the incident.

Here is how Twitter is reacting;

Death threats to family-

NORMAL PEOPLE: File a police complaint

LEGENDS: quit social media#AnuragKashyap
Stupid liberals🤣 @ReallySwara pic.twitter.com/vSdFvCIFDu

— ayush khandelwal (@Ayush_k11) August 11, 2019

#AnuragKashyap exited twitter earlier when people called him jinxed maker, then when his #BombayVelvet was a disaster & now when his lies are exposed. Will surely come back before his next release.
This is how #UrbanNaxals remain in news.

— Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) August 11, 2019

#AnuragKashyap How many times have we seen this natak from liberals. Almost all of them Quits twitter for attention and then comes back after few weeks. pic.twitter.com/T5ml9d8nmb

— Ayush Khanna (@AyushKhanna) August 11, 2019

#AnuragKashyap we stand by you sir pic.twitter.com/tCg8m7BLYf

— Nazi (@Raahul1995) August 11, 2019

Shame on the biggest democracy. When Hindu’s with different point of view are not safe, i can feel for the rest of indians with different cultures and religion’s . #AnuragKashyap pic.twitter.com/tQVjhI9ot2

— libna khan (@coldfish28) August 11, 2019

‘Freedom of speech’ is a joke in this country. #AnuragKashyap pic.twitter.com/SqBiqCw9V5

— Suhaib Mohammed (@Bearded_ngineer) August 11, 2019