KGF actor Anant Nag on Besharam Rang: ‘Showing things against our culture will definitely cause conflicts’

Asked to respond to the controversy around Deepika Padukone’s new song, Besharam Rang from Pathaan, KGF actor Anant Nag has said.

That the song had ‘nudity content’, adding that it is not part of the Indian culture. Besharam Rang was the first song that producers of the film Pathaan released online, ahead of the film’s release, and has since been the centre of controversies. Actors Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham also feature in Pathaan.

Ever since Besharam Rang was released online, the song, as well as the film, have become the target of trolls and the protests soon went beyond the online trolling. Besharam Rang features Deepika in an orange bikini and some have claimed that the colour is sacred in Hinduism, calling for a removal of the song from the film. A few others have objected to the title of the film, as it is also the name of a particular ethnic group.

“Showing women in such a way is not part of our Indian culture. If the censor team had done their job, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. Forget about movies, look at OTT content, they show all sorts of nasty and offensive stuff. Everything is openly shown and no one is there to stop them,” Anant told Asianet.

He added, “Indian cinema should stop such nudity content on big and small screens. Showing things against our culture and tradition will definitely cause conflicts among the people.”

Directed by Siddharth Anand, Pathaan is set for a theatrical release on January 25. Over the past few weeks, several protests have been reported across a few states, demanding that theatres should not screen the film when it releases. A few minsters, including Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, called for a ban against the film. Recently, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) handed a UA certificate to Pathaan after suggesting ten changes that were incorporated.

Anant Nag has majorly worked in Kannada films, though he has also featured in a few Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and English films as well. In KGF Chapter 1, he essayed the role of author Anand Ingalagi. He also narrates the film.