The Indian Air Force has objected to "inaccurate" donning of its uniform and the language used by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor in the upcoming Netflix movie AK vs AK, and asked the makers to withdraw the objectionable scenes. The IAF has also approached the ministry of defence, asking the MoD to take up the matter.
Reacting sharply to a tweet by Kapoor on the release of the movie's teaser, IAF, in a statement, said, “The IAF uniform in this video is inaccurately donned and the language used is inappropriate. This does not conform to the behavioural norms of those in the Armed Forces of India. The related scenes need to be withdrawn.”
The trailer of the movie, starring Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap, faced flak from the veteran fraternity over the portrayal of Kapoor's character, who is seen unshaven and with his shirt untucked. The language used by the actor too came under criticism.
Reacting to the language used in the movie, Major General Harsha Kakar (retd) tweeted: "What crap are you producing Anil Kapoor. Unshaven, gutter language and untucked shirt. Are you projecting the respected Indian Air Force or degrading it. Is this your level of understanding the armed forces. You have produced a worthless piece of crap."
In the wake of the criticism, Kapoor tendered an apology for unintentionally hurting the sentiments of the armed forces, but was silent on the demand for withdrawal of objectionable scenes in the movie.
The movie, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on December 24.
IAF has written to Netflix and defence ministry on the objectionable scenes, asking them to take appropriate action on the matter.
In August, IAF had objected to Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl for the negative portrayal of the force. The movie was criticised for showing IAF officers as biased against women.
A few months ago, the ministry of defence had also written to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) taking objections to a few web shows, saying they hurt the sentiments of the defence personnel.
Taking note of multiple complaints regarding a web series titled XXX Uncensored (season 2), produced by Ekta Kapoor, the ministry of defence has approached the CBFC, Mumbai, claiming that the web series was "depicting Indian Army personnel and military uniform in a distorted manner”. The MoD also asked the the producers of the movies/web series to get a NoC from the ministry while making a movie or web shows related to Indian Army. It also added that the production houses may also be advised to "ensure that any incident which distorts the image of defence forces or hurts their sentiment may be prevented".
In a series of tweets, Netflix sought to clarify that the intention was not to disrespect the armed forces and added that "At no point does the film represent the Indian Air Force or our Armed Forces."
"Our intention would never be to disrespect the Armed Forces of India in any regard. AK Vs. AK is a film in which Anil Kapoor and his co-stars are playing themselves as actors."
"At no point does the film represent the Indian Air Force or our Armed Forces. We have nothing but the highest respect for the brave people protecting our nation," the streaming giant tweeted.
