Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at the makers of the Bollywood film Kesari Chapter 2 for allegedly misrepresenting Bengali revolutionary Khudiram Bose as “Khudiram Singh”. The criticism came as she paid tributes to the freedom fighter on his death anniversary.
In a social media post, Mamata Banerjee called the misrepresentation an “attack on the Bengali language” and an insult to those who laid down their lives for India’s freedom.
“My respectful obeisance on the death anniversary of revolutionary Khudiram Bose. Let me write something. Recently, in a Hindi film, revolutionary Khudiram was called ‘Singh’. Why are those who gave their lives for freedom being insulted? Will language terrorists even hold onto the immortal revolutionary Khudiram?” Banerjee asked.
Recently, a controversy erupted after Khudiram Bose was referred to as Khudiram Singh in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Kesari Chapter 2. In June, an FIR was registered against the producers of the film at Bidhannagar South police station for allegedly misrepresenting historical personalities from West Bengal.
The complaint had accused the film of inaccurately portraying Khudiram Bose as “Khudiram Singh” and describing Barindra Kumar Ghosh as “Birendra Kumar” from Amritsar.
One of the country’s youngest freedom fighters, Khudiram Bose, was hanged on August 11, 1908, at the age of 18 for his role in the Muzaffarpur bomb case.
Banerjee, in her social media post, further claimed that the son of Bengal was shown as a son of Punjab.
“Our indomitable teenager from Midnapore has been shown as a son of Punjab. Unbearable! But we have always paid tribute to this man, a symbol of patriotism and supreme sacrifice,” she said.
Banerjee also highlighted her government’s initiatives to preserve Bose’s legacy, which include developing Bose’s birthplace, Mahabani, and its surrounding areas.
“For the further development of Mahabani and the adjacent areas, which are associated with the birth anniversary of Khudiram Bose, the Mahabani Development Authority has been established. Apart from this, everything has been done, from installing a statue of Shaheed Khudiram in Mahabani to renovating the library, a new spacious auditorium, conference room. An open stage has also been set up. In addition, modern cottages have been built for visitors, and the traditional Khudiram Park has been revived. The entire area has also been decorated with lights,” she said.
She further highlighted that her government also named a metro station in Kolkata after him.
