Censor Board member and filmmaker Ashok Pandit on Tuesday set off a controversy with his derogatory remarks against moviemaker Karan Johar over his expletive-laced comedy show which is being probed by the Maharashtra Goverment.
The Maharasthra government said that it will only check if "AIB roast" had secured appropriate clearances, a day after announcing an inquiry into the show that also featured actors Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh for obscene language and content. The "Roast" is the first of its kind in India. Pandit, who was recently made a member of the revamped Censor Board, dubbed the comedy show as performing a "porn show on stage" and made some uncharitable remarks against Johar, a noted Producer-Director, who was the 'roast-master' at the event. In a series of tweets, he also said he supported the inquiry by the Maharashtra government. An unfazed Johar took to Twitter to take on Pandit saying, "Not your cup of tea...don't drink it!!!".
With the micro-blogging site trending with "We Stand By AIB Knockout", Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha also slammed Pandit. "So nice to see twitter is filled with such angels who point out hypocrisy and never use foul language and have never laughed at dirty jokes (haw)," she tweeted. The AIB roast event staged in Mumbai in December was attended by 4,000 people and the audience included Johar's mother, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone among others.
Also Read: AIB Roast: Censor Board member Ashoke Pandit faces heat for tasteless tweet
The edited version of the no-holds barred "roast" of Arjun and Ranveer was later posted on YouTube, Sonakshi also faced many roasts by the members of the group. Pandit later defended his tweets against Johar, saying he was only reacting to the way in which the filmmaker and the other brilliant actors used such kind of language which should not be spoken at a public show. "They can't use the language in public that is not decent in any form," he said, adding, "the entire show was abnormal".
"I have reacted because I am a Karan Johar fan, Ranveer Singh fan, Arjun Kapoor man....I have very right to do that. And if they feel about my tweet if they are hurt about my tweet, they can consider it as an extension of their roast," he said in Jaipur. Pandit also came under attack from Congress.
"Filmmaker & censor board member @ashokepandit tweets filth about @karanjohar. Is this acceptable? He should quit or be removed," tweeted Salman Soz, a spokesman of the Congress. Maharashtra Culture Minister Vinod Tawde said the state government does not intend do any "moral policing." "On #AIBRoast, will only enquire if the AIB had taken appropriate certificate. No moral policing.. if they are allowed by law, I can't stop them," Tawde tweeted.
On Monday, Tawde had told reporters that "officials of the Culture Department will examine the (AIB show) videos for the content. If found vulgar, an action will be initiated." The minister had announced the inquiry following a police probe into a complaint against the participants for allegedly using "filthy and abusive language" during the event called AIB Knockout.
