Indu Sarkar Row: Bhandarkar Given Police Protection Amid Congress Protests

Worries for filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar don't seem to end anytime soon. After a protest in Pune and a cancelled press conference of Indu Sarkar in Nagpur, the filmmaker has now been given police protection amid protests against his film based on the Emergency. The film is already in a tiff with CBFC, after the board suggested 14 cuts in the film. Now, according to CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani, the film is expected to go to the tribunal after Congress workers protested outside his office.

Indu Sarkar has been facing flak from the Congress for its plot which is based on the infamous events of Emergency under party's rule. The characters in the film are said to be inspired by Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi.

Madhur had cancelled his promotional events in Nagpur and Mumbai over protests by local Congress workers. He even took to Twitter to express his disappointment over the entire episode.

Earlier, in a tweet, he asked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi if he approved of hooliganism by his party workers. "Can I have my Freedom of Expression?" he had tweeted.

Elaborating on his tweet to Rahul Gandhi he said, "I requested Rahul Gandhi on Twitter to keep a check his party workers who are protesting against my film." The director also added that his family was scared because of these protests.

Known for making films on hard-core issues, this is the first time Bhandarkar has touched upon a political topic.

While speaking to CNN-News18, Bhandarkar shared the motive behind helming Indu Sarkar.

“I'm known to make real and topical cinema. What is being shown in the film has already been documented in books and documentaries for so many years. My film is 30% real and 70% fiction. It's about a stammering poet called Indu and her journey. I don't know why people are after it, issuing a fatwa against me and sending legal notices,” he had said.