Thane Jan 30 PTI Congress workers on Sunday burnt a portrait of Nathuram Godse the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi at Bhiwandi in Thane district of Maharashtra and held a protest The protest led by the partys Bhiwandi unit chief Rashid Tahir was held on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhis death anniversary The protesters shouted slogans against Godse and in praise of Gandhi Talking to reporters Tahir said It is unfortunate that Nathuram Godse is being glorified through an upcoming film on him He was referring to the Hindi movie Why I killed Gandhi in which NCP MP and actor Dr Amol Kolhe plays the role of Godse The film was shot in 2017 Tahir urged the government to stop the release of the movie In Thane senior NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad and Congresss city unit chief Vikrant Chavan garlanded Gandhijis bust at Mahatma Gandhi Udyan and paid tributes PTI COR NP NP

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], January 22 (ANI): Bollywood actor Nana Patekar on Saturday came out in support of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Actor Amol Kolhe and said that the latter has personal liberty to choose the roles he wants to play in a film.

Mumbai Jan 22 PTI Actor and NCP MP Amol Kolhe facing flak in certain quarters for portrayal of Mahatma Gandhis assassin Nathuram Godse in an upcoming Hindi film has asserted he is a firm believer in Gandhian thoughts and maintained he took up the controversial role only to challenge himself as an artiste Kolhe facing criticism from a senior party colleague and also political opponents over the role clarified that he does not support the ideology of Godse However NCP president Sharad Pawar has come out in support of the actor In the film Why I Killed Gandhi directed by Ashok Tyagi and produced by Kalyani Singh the 41-year-old actor-politician will be seen as Mahatma Gandhis assassin The movie was shot in 2017 but is slated to release on January 30 - the day Gandhi was assassinated on the same date in 1948 - on an OTT platform Controversy over the actors role has kicked off a month after the trailer of the movie was dropped online In the trailer lasting 2 minutes and 20 seconds Kolhe known for playing the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in two separate Marathi TV serials is seen expressing his angst against Gandhi whom he holds responsible for the atrocities on Hindus in Pakistan In an interview to PTI Kolhe spoke at length about how he was initially hesitant to play the role of Godse the key reason to pick up this part and how he feels fortunate to have a considerate party leader like Sharad Pawar I had done roles in Marathi movie and television when the offer for Why I Killed Gandhi came I was initially excited that I am playing a role in a Hindi film But when I came to know about the role of Godse I told them makers it is against my personal ideology Kolhe said But as an actor many times you play roles which are not congruent with your ideology and still you play that role I was told that this role is all about the confession that Nathuram Godse gave in the inquiry commission held by Justice J L Kapur I said I will be doing this role as an actor he added Citing an example of Russian theatre legend Konstantin Stanislavski the actor-politician said this method of acting is difficult especially when you dont believe in the ideology of the character and yet you portray it with conviction This is a difficult task to do as an actor Kolhe said adding It becomes a different kind of a challenge It is a challenging task as I dont believe in the ideology and yet I had to portray the role As a challenge to an actor I picked up the role Once the camera starts rolling you have to put it aside However Kolhe insists that as a person he is a firm believer in Gandhian thoughts I follow the ideology that none of the killing can be justified you cannot justify a murder and my ideology remains the same I personally feel it assassination of Gandhi is one of the most unfortunate incidents in Indian history and a murder can never be justified he said Speaking of his process of getting into the skin of a character Kolhe said that as a performer it is essential to understand the psychological graph of the role When you play characters like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj the process is very simple I go by the psychological graph of the character Once you get hold of the psychological graph the body language speech diction and other things automatically follow And in the same fashion I went ahead with the role of Godse he explained The MP from the Shirur Lok Sabha constituency in Pune district said that when he acted in the film way back in 2017 in his wildest dream he had not thought of joining the NCP and contesting the parliamentary elections in 2019 However Kolhe does admit that the thought of inviting conflict and criticism did come to his mind and that there can be some controversy over his role as Godse But he thinks Personal ideology and professional commitment are two different things and one needs to differentiate between the two One thing is very clear the party has nothing to do with this film simply because I did the film in 2017 when I was not associated with it Kolhe asserted The party should not be dragged into this controversy is my earnest request he said The actor-MP said he has huge respect for his party leader Sharad Pawar and feels fortunate that he has stood by him The freedom for artistes and personal ideology are two separate things and this has been shown by Pawar sahab for a long time And the same stand he took that whatever Amol Kolhe has done is in the capacity of an artiste He has shown trust in my ideology And I am very thankful After hearing his reaction I feel fortunate to work under his leadership that is so considerate Kolhe added On a concluding note Kolhe said now that he shoulders a responsibility of a Lok Sabha constituency and his partys ideology too as an actor he will consider the ideology of the party and choose roles more wisely Kolhes portrayal of Godse on the silver screen has not gone down well with some in the NCP While NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad has targeted Kolhe over the issue the opposition BJP sought to know the actor-turned-MPs exact stand on Godse Awhad has said that even if Kolhe had played Godse in his capacity as an actor It is indeed an endorsement of Godses views Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said Kolhe should clarify his exact stand on Godse and his views However Pawar has backed the actor-politician Dr Amol Kolhes decision to act in that movie should be seen as an artistes choice If he played that role it does not mean he subscribes to Godses ideology or views Pawar said If someone plays the role of Aurangzeb in a film it should not be seen as the actor becoming a supporter of the MughalsRavan abducted Sita in the Ramayana does it imply that the actor playing Ravan actually kidnapped her the NCP president added PTI KKP RSY NP NP

Mumbai Jan 21 PTI Facing flak for playing Nathuram Godse in an upcoming film NCP MP Dr Amol Kolhe on Friday said he never endorsed the views and actions of Mahatma Gandhis assassinWhile NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad has targeted Kolhe over the issue opposition BJP sought to know the actor-turned-MPs exact stand on GodseKolhe the MP from Shirur in western Maharashtra who was earlier with the Shiv Sena issued a video message on FridayIt seems many people have got hurt because of my role as Godse in the Hindi movie Why I Killed GandhiI have never ever endorsed the act of Godse or his views against Mahatma Gandhi he saidExplaining the circumstances behind accepting the role he said that after playing Chhatrapati Shivaji he wanted to play Chhatrapati Sambhaji king Shivajis son on TV or in a filmHe received an offer for a serial on Sambhaji but the shooting got stalled after some days said Kolhe who is an MBBS graduateAround this time in 2017 he got the offer to play Godse in the film directed by Ashok Tyagi he saidActors like late Nilu Phule or Pran played negative roles in films but in real life they were progressive individuals Kolhe saidI repeat that I do not endorse the ideology or views of Godse he said adding he did not even promote the filmIn 2017 as an actor it was my need to get a role in films It should be understood and seen in that context the actor-turned-MP saidMaharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole meanwhile said his party condemns the endorsement and promotion of those who killed Gandhi State BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said Kolhe should clarify his exact stand on Godse and his views because his leader NCP chief Sharad Pawar did not approve of Godses viewsBJP is totally against Godse and his actions Patil addedEarlier NCP leader and state housing minister Jitendra Awhad had said that even if Kolhe had played Godse in his capacity as actor it is indeed an endorsement of Godses views But Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil defended KolheDr Kolhe completed the shooting for the film in 2017 He joined NCP a few months before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections After that film Dr Kolhe has also played Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in a Marathi serial People have accepted him as an actor as well as a parliamentarian Patil saidHis performance in the Lok Sabha is also good You can watch his speeches on YouTube He has also supported the views of great social reformers like Shahu Maharaj Jyotirao Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar We do condemn the film on Godse he added PTI ND KRK KRK KRK