Veteran actor Paresh Rawal has raised his voice about what he sees as increasing difficulty in making films in India these days and it isn’t only because of politics. In particular, he discussed the case of his upcoming biopic Ajey The Untold Story of a Yogi, about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The film was initially denied a certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), but the Bombay High Court recently cleared it for release without cuts.

Rawal says that reactions are fast and furious now, especially with sensitive subjects. There’s a lot of pressure from social media, from boards like the CBFC, and from critics. His view: if your neeyat (intent) and neeti (policy/ethics) are clean, and you make the film honestly, you shouldn’t be overly consumed by what everyone might think. Narrowing down your choices, staying true to what you believe in that’s what helps. 

He also takes issue with how the CBFC handled objections. At one point, a lawyer for the CBFC had apparently neither seen the film nor read the book it’s based on, leading Rawal to ask: why approve something without understanding its content? 

On criticisms of biopics “whitewashing” their subjects: Rawal pushes back. He argues that since Yogi Adityanath is still alive and politically active, there’s limited space for distortions. The story covered is only up to a certain point in his life. He says the truth that exists in public can’t be labeled as “untold.”

And as for trolls on social media? Rawal says he’s not afraid. He’s learned to respond, sometimes sharply. Because once social media is talking, even voices that might’ve been ignored earlier suddenly matter.