In Gaza, Every Day is Diwali: RGV’s Tweet Sparks Outrage
Leaders and netizens alike slammed the filmmaker for trivialising the ongoing humanitarian crisis
Hyderabad: Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has sparked outrage online after making an insensitive remark about the Gaza conflict on Diwali. On Monday, the director posted on X, “In INDIA only one day is DIWALI and in GAZA, every day is DIWALI🔥🔥🔥” (sic), drawing widespread criticism.
Leaders and netizens alike slammed the filmmaker for trivialising the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the comment, saying, “Imagine comparing Diwali celebration to Gaza’s crimes of war. At least these social media platforms helped us identify the ‘famous’ yet the hateful amongst us. What makes a person so hateful is something I’ll never fathom or ever hope to.” (sic), she wrote.
AICC Media Coordinator Harmeet Kaur K also hit out, calling the post “shocking” and accusing Varma of “celebrating our festival with genocide and killing of babies.”
The filmmaker, who is known for courting controversy, had made a similar remark during Diwali in 2023 as well.
Prominent journalists Sara Ather and Rana Ayyub also criticised the tweet. “People outside India cannot even begin to comprehend the absolute gutter level of politics that is mainstream in India and is very much advocated by Indian celebrities,” Ather posted.
