Angad Bedi defends Gunjan Saxena biopic against online backlash, says ‘people are spitting fire against one another’ – bollywood

Actor Angad Bedi has defended his upcoming film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, against the backlash that it has received following its trailer debut recently. Angad plays Gunjan’s brother in the film, with Janhvi Kapoor in the title role as the former IAF pilot.

In an interview to Mid-Day, Angad commented on the backlash, and said, “It’s my film, too. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but people are spitting fire against one another. The flak [that the film is receiving] is unfair. Every industry is competitive.”

The film has been thrust headfirst into the insider-outsider debate, mainly because of Janhvi and producer Karan Johar’s involvement. Janhvi is the daughter of actor Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, while Karan has been at the receiving end of online backlash in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. On YouTube, the trailer has received over 1,50,000 ‘likes’ but more than 80,000 ‘dislikes’ as well.

Angad, citing his own example, continued, “I have auditioned for over 300 movies, and every rejection has been a learning experience. My role in Soorma led me to this film. I had gone to meet Shashank [Khaitan], who, in turn, made me meet Sharan (Sharma). After I tested for the role, Sharan told Karan [Johar] he wanted me for the part. There are lakhs of people in the industry, so it’s only fair that we all get a chance. Actors are like any other professional who work for a pay cheque.”

Also read: Angad Bedi on nepotism: Rather than pointing fingers at anyone’s lineage, I see this as a healthy competition

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Angad also defended several ‘insider’ actors, and said that they deserve to be in the industry because of their talent. “Alia (Bhatt), Varun (Dhawan), Ranbir (Kapoor) are all good actors. Why shouldn’t they get opportunities? Rather than pointing fingers at their lineage, I see this as a healthy competition. I’ve faced rejections, too. There have been times when filmmakers didn’t want to see my face and thinking I’m not up to the mark, gave the chance to someone else,” he said.

Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl is based on the life of one of India’s first female Air Force pilots. The film’s rights were scooped up by Netflix, which will release it on August 12. The film also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Vineet Kumar Singh, Manav Vij and others.

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