Srijato irked over insult to Tagore on comedy show, wants public apology

KOLKATA: Last year, director Karan Johar faced criticism from a segment of the Bengali netizens for allegedly mocking and disrespecting Rabindranath Tagore in his film ‘Rocky Rani Ki Prem Kahaani’. Now, popular poet and lyricist Srijato has expressed his anger on social media, condemning the disrespect shown to Tagore’s iconic song, ‘Ekla Cholo Re’, on ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ on Netflix.

In his post, Srijato shared his frustration and mentioned how comedian Krushna Abhishek made mockery of the revered song during an episode featuring Kajol— who shares a connection with Bengal — as the special guest. “Perhaps since Kajol is of Bengali origin, Krushna chose one of Tagore’s songs as a tool for mockery. It wasn’t chosen randomly. The script was deliberately planned that way. I’m not detailing exactly what happened or how it happened here. However, the ridicule, gestures and words Krushna Abhishek used to interpret the song ‘Ekla Cholo Re’ have gone far beyond the limits of respect and decency, at least in my view,” Srijato wrote.

Srijato also mentioned that the episode is available for anyone to watch. Those who have already seen it are well aware. “Through this post, I am formally expressing my complaint and objection against this offensive portrayal. I raise my voice against everyone involved in writing, presenting, approving and broadcasting this sketch,” he said.

Srijato has also called upon the OTT platform associated with ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ to issue an apology. He also wants that portion to be edited. “I am writing this post after consulting one of the top legal experts in this field. I want to make it clear that if my demands are not acknowledged, considered and fully met by November 7, 2024, I will pursue legal action,” he wrote.

Srijato’s post has already been shared by several Bengali celebrities like Indraadip Dasgupta, Kaushik Ganguly, Srijit Mukherji, Raj Chakraborty, Abir Chatterjee, Suman Ghosh and Iman Chakraborty among others, who have strongly raised their voice against it.