Jaipur Literature Festival 2025 unveils first lineup of speakers
Discover the 18th Jaipur Literature Festival, featuring 300+ speakers, global voices, and diverse cultures from Jan 30 to Feb 3, 2025, in Jaipur.
Author Chetan Bhagat has called for ending the controversy over the movie Padmaavat. Speaking on the sidelines of Jaipur Literature Festival, he urged the media to stop giving importance to Karni Sena. He wondered what kind of protests was it when a school bus was stoned.
Rajputs have a heritage and honour running into centuries and a film cannot harm it anyway, he added. A protest just for the sake of it was no good, Bhagat said. The movie has been released and there has been no controversy over it at all since then. He supported the decision of Prasoon Joshi, chief of Central Board of Film certification to not visit the JLF to save fellow writers from discomfort.
He said that had he been in his place, even he would not have come. He felt Joshi’s decision to not come should not be made into another controversy or given a lot of importance because that only gives a boost to protesters. He said that he has been a participating in the JLF for long and people continue to throng it as ever. It has not lost its shine. The absence of a few persons will not affect this ‘Maha Kumbh’ of literature, the celebrity writer said.
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Sanjoy Roy, JLF producer-director said on Joshi’s absence, “Violence has no place in the narrative of a new India. And those who ignite the flame of hatred will be consumed by it. We thank the Rajasthan Government and the police forces for their support in ensuring the safety of all our speakers and visitors from across the world.”
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