Allahabad:
Veteran actor Om Puri has extended support to those opposing the land bill saying he is in “agreement” with their agitation and also expressed his willingness to take active part in it.
The 65-year-old actor, who had shared the stage with Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and others during the Jan Lokpal agitation at Ramlila Ground, told reporters here that he was “in agreement with the Aam Aadmi Party’s views on the Land Acquisition Bill” and “would not hesitate from taking active part in the agitation against the same”.
Puri was in Allahabad to inaugurate International Film Festival of Prayag (IFFP), where he was also conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the film industry.
The national award winning actor, however, appeared to be in support of the censor board’s diktat for banning the use of cuss words on screen.
He said “the increasing use of abusive language by youngsters is a disturbing sight. Steps like restricting the usage of such language in films and TV may be necessary”.
Puri, who started off his career with off-beat films like ‘Aakrosh’, ‘Tamas’ among others, said it was wrong to say that no art films were being made these days.
“Such films were less in number compared with mainstream commercial ventures in the past. The same is the case today. Art films are like classical music which is not appreciated by a large number of people but those who are able to enjoy, feel transformed.
“The only new trend is that directors like Prakash Jha have started experimenting with art films wherein they try to retain the flavour of parallel cinema while roping in glamorous stars to play important roles”, Puri added.
