Kedarnath Controversy, Another Padmaavat?

They knew what they were  getting into. Director  Abhishek Kapoor and the  producers  of Kedarnath now face  protests  from  Kedarnath for  propounding “love jihad”. A romantic relationship between  a Muslim man and a Hindu girl.

The trouble doesn’t seem to be unforeseen. I  remember Shekhar Kapur once saying, “Never make  a film in India about love between a Hindu and a Muslim.  It’s bound to spark  off trouble.”

To add to their woes  the film’s director, in all his wisdom, has  chosen to  insert  a kiss between the couple in a 30-second teaser trailer that was  released last week.

“If that  isn’t being deliberately  provocative, what is? Why put the kiss in the first trailer  of Kedarnath when  you know you’re  playing with  fire(by depicting a Hindu-Muslim romance),” says a veteran filmmaker closely affiliated  to the ruling party.

One feels the  film is not averse to  sparking off a Padmaavat kind  of controversy. Every film-trade expert knows Padmaavat  made an extra 100 crores because it was  controversial.

Kedarnath could just as well be another controversial film, provided the boxoffice numbers  match up with  the protests.