Vivek Agnihotri's 'Bhopali means homosexual' remark kicks up row

Bhopal, Mar 25: Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri on Friday kicked up a row for stating that the term Bhopali' means "homosexual" in local parlance.

In an interview to online channel, Agnihotri was heard saying that "I have grown up in Bhopal, but I am not a Bhopali. Because Bhopali has a different connotation. You can ask any Bhopali. I will explain it to you in privacy. If someone says he is Bhopali, it generally means he is homosexual, a person with Nawabi likings."

The interview clip, said to be three weeks old, has now went viral on social media.

Reacting to Agnihotri’s remark was senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

“Vivek Agnihotri ji, this might be your personal experience. This is not the experience of an ordinary Bhopal resident. I have been associated with Bhopal and Bhopalis since 1977, but my experience has not been so. The influence of company has an effect, wherever you may live,” Singh tweeted.

Agnihotri was also trolled on the social media, where many Bhopal netizens questioned his sweeping comment, which they felt was in bad taste.

Ahead of his Bhopal visit, Agnihotri had engaged in an online argument with MP cadre IAS officer Niyaz Khan who had asked the filmmaker to use the earnings of the film for welfare of Kashmiri Pandits. Khan was served a show cause notice by the state government on Thursday for his comments.