Mumbai, July 5 (ANI): Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma lodged a police complaint against the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Tuesday fter he received a letter to apologise over his statement of offering a role to Kannada actress Maria Susairaj, recently released in the murder case of television executive Neeraj Grover.
According to media reports, Varma had announced that he would be offering Susairaj a role in his film.
"Two things, the issue is I had put a certain thing on the twitter. If a person has been convicted and that person has come out after serving the punishment and the judge said whatever he said, one should respect that and I will not hold that against the criminal, whatever might be the background. Regarding this, I got a letter from BJP youth wing threatening strong action if I don't take back my word," said Varma.
"So, in a civilized society, if a judiciary is saying something and as a citizen of India, I have the right to live by the law of the land. If a political party is going to threaten, taking some strong action, whatever they meant by it. In relation to this issue, I came here to register a complaint," he added.
The filmmaker had also written in support of Susairaj on a social networking website, that if someone was set free by the law, then she had every right to start her life afresh.
"See, first of all I never said that there is this film or there is this role, I didn't say that. I said that if at all there is something, which is suitable, I will not hold her background against her. This is because a criminal should be given a second chance once he or she comes back in the society after having served punishment," said Varma.
"This is what a civilized society or any democratic country runs upon. I am reasserting this thing. But I never said that I am starting the shoot day after tomorrow and this is the role, I didn't say that. I just voiced my opinion, it is unfair to penalise a person for the rest of her life," he added.
Meanwhile, Sagar Salunkhe, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Versova police station, however, said that no formal complaint has been registered, and added that Varma just came to inform the police about the letter that he had received from the youth wing workers of the BJP.
"No such complaint has been registered; he came to inform us in the police station about the letter that he received from the BJP and no particular complaint has been registered. When he received the letter, he felt disturbed by what is happening to him, so he came to inform us about it. So, that is good that even the police got to know that he has received a letter of this sort. We are very careful about law and order," he said.
Maria Susairaj, who was convicted for destruction of evidence in the Neeraj Grover murder case, walked free from Mumbai's Byculla Jail on Saturday for having already served her three-year sentence awarded by a court during the trial.
A Mumbai Session Court on Friday sentenced Maria Susairaj to three years, while her boyfriend Emile Jerome Mathew, a former Navy Lieutenant, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Neeraj Grover murder case.
Maria had already served a sentence of three years and therefore she was set free. (ANI)
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