india

Updated: Feb 22, 2020 17:54 IST

Bollywood writer, director, producer Tigmanshu Dhulia said India didn’t need any ideology but only good governance at the livehindustan.com event-- ‘Hindustan Shikhar Samagam’-- at Lucknow during a panel discussion on the perspective of the young generation on the current affairs in the country on Saturday.

“We don’t need any ideology, just good governance, tell me what is the ideology of Japan and Belgium,” Tigmanshu said and added, “We don’t need the Left, we don’t need the Right”.

Dhulia was full of praise for the youth and said they had regained his faith after having lost it in the past by leading the protests across the country.

“I have become optimistic, now, that I see that young people are raising their voice against the government,” he said, and added that initially, he thought the current generation was “good only for sipping coffee and having fun”.

Tigmanshu seemed to be referring to anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests spearheaded by university students in Delhi, UP and other parts of the country.

Explaining his own struggles with the government, he said he had become “reluctant to voice opinion against the government” fearing he will not be paid for the work he had done for Rajya Sabha TV, a government-controlled national network.

“For the past two and a half years I have held back speaking against the government, however, I do speak out when I can’t take it any further,” he said.

Elaborating further he said was not paid for the film, ‘Rag Desh’, he made for the network, which was based on Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and his followers in the ‘Azaad Hind Fauz’.

“I have been fighting (litigation) with the government for the 2.5 years. I had made something for the government but I was not paid, then the government changed, but I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s talk about something else,” he said

On further prodding, he said, “It was a big amount and I had to pay several vendors (for) camera, lights, who would start protesting outside your office if not paid, so I had to take a loan to pay them off,’ he said and added that he has been paying an interest of Rs 2.15 lakh for more than the last two years, I have not been paid yet.”

When asked if he believes that the government blocked his dues because of his criticism, he said, “I feel like that, maybe it was also to do with my work, my work had truth,” he added.