Marathi TV actor Kiran Mane was expelled by TV channel Star Pravah this week as the actor had shared abusive posts and comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders including Devendra Fadnavis on social media. The actor was doing so in the name of taking a stand against the power centres. After the actor was expelled by Star Pravah, several leaders from NCP have started to accuse the channel of imposing cultural terrorism. As the actor met with NCP president Sharad Pawar on Saturday, he has expressed a hope that Pawar will do something in this regard.
Kiran Mane plays the role of Vilas Patil in the popular Star Pravah serial ‘Mulgi Jhali Ho’. For a long time, Kiran Mane has been sharing posts on social media that actually are abusive towards Modi and BJP leaders. He has said that he was expelled citing no reasons except keeping a political opinion. But under the garb of freedom of speech and expression whatever he has shared is no different than abusing someone.
so called actor kiran mane abussing devendra fadanvis ji@Dev_Fadnavis ji please see this and file F.I.R pic.twitter.com/FPb247YHOB
— LOKI | MVP (@GloriousHindu) January 14, 2022
His version of the story
Kiran Mane became popular from his role of Mama that he had played for a TV serial ‘Majhya Navaryachi Bayko’ on the Zee Marathi channel three years ago. He has come a long way to achieve the spot where he is today, but as he gained popularity, he started expressing his political opinions on various issues. But he does not call himself holding a political opinion. Rather he calls it a progressive thought.
Putting his version of the incident, he has said “The series tops the TRP. It really has a very nice TRP. Vilas Patil’s character that I play has also become very popular among the people. But after the shooting ended yesterday, I got a call from the production house. It is a Hindi production house. Sujhana Ghai is the producer. I got a call from Production Head Rajat Nair. You have been replaced. The actor playing the role of Vilas Patil is replacing him. He hung up the phone, saying that some people are angry with you.”
He further added, “After this call, I called the channel. Satish Rajwade is the head of the channel. He did not pick up the phone. Then I called a friend of mine from the channel. I asked him if he could explain the reason. My friend answered me saying a woman complained that you post politically”. Pleading not guilty he further said, “I am taking an ideological role rather than a political one. I am not writing about a particular political party. I am a progressive thinker.”
What did the producers say?
However, the producers of the show have denied that he has been removed for his political views and social media posts, and said he was removed for professional, reasons. Reacting to the issue of expelling Kiran Mane from the series, the producer of the series Sujana Ghai said, “Kiran Mane was removed from the series not for his political stance but for professional reasons. Kiran Mane’s political ideology has nothing to do with removing her from the series. Kiran Mane was replaced in the series for professional reasons. Kiran Mane knew what these professional reasons were. Mane had been informed about it many times. Despite telling him many times, the reasons were not settled. So we made this decision.”
Venom he actually spewed on social media
Kiran Mane who claims to be a progressive thinker has actually abused Prime Minister Modi, Devendra Fadnavis, and other BJP leaders time and again through his Facebook posts and comments for whatever ideological differences he claims to have. Netizens are sharing the screenshots of his wall where he has written many such posts and comments. People have also shared screenshots of message boxes where he is abusing even to those who took objections to the language he had used.
Recent such post of him was after the PM’s security breach incident that happened on 5th January 2022 in Punjab. Kiran Mane had written on his Facebook post that “Even if there are one or two viewers in the theatre, we fearless artists don’t cancel the show. We act as if it is a houseful auditorium. Only after rocking the show do we come back home.” By saying so he was actually trying to imply that PM’s security breach was no serious issue; rather it was like a staged drama.
Actor Kiran Mane Rock….😂#ModiInPunjab #मोदी_के_लिये_रास्ता_बंद #ModiJi #ModiRally #मोदी pic.twitter.com/yCbWJpDQoh
— Rajendra Patil (@patilrajendra) January 5, 2022
Old Posts from his walls
As Kiran Mane’s expulsion occurred, the actor’s wall became research material for netizens and what came out was proof of the venom he has been spitting against PM Modi and BJP leaders. In a year-old post, he is seen replying to someone in the comment section where he had said that “Idiot Fadnavis should understand that abiding by the rules of social distancing has no practical meaning in a country where followers of a supreme idiot danced on roads with plates in their hands just because their master asked them to, where this same ‘haramkhor’ Fadnavis asked people to come to streets and balconies with a lamp in their hands for the Diya Event called upon by the supreme lier. When people were dying, these third-class Bhakt people were celebrating Diwali. This ‘nalayak’ Fadnavis is a public representative. How can this ‘haramkhor’ Fadnavis expect people to do so? Has he gone mad? Or he is a beggar?”
so called actor kiran mane abussing devendra fadanvis ji@Dev_Fadnavis ji please see this and file F.I.R pic.twitter.com/FPb247YHOB
— LOKI | MVP (@GloriousHindu) January 14, 2022
In a chat screenshot, Kiran Mane was also seen calling PM Narendra Modi ch*tiya.
We support star prawah pic.twitter.com/48POHiE3dU
— kacchanimbu (@itskrish45) January 15, 2022
In an attempt to answer the people digging his wall he has said on a news channel that he was not even informed or consulted before his expulsion by the channel and if this can happen with him, it can happen with anyone else.
ट्रोल करणाऱ्यांना अभिनेता किरण माने यांनी दिलेलं खणखणीत उत्तर पहा. pic.twitter.com/vkIuul3WoR
— yogesh sawant (@yogi_9696) January 14, 2022
NCP leaders support Kiran Mane
Meanwhile, many NCP leaders from the state are supporting Kiran Mane. The list ranges from Jitendra Awhad to Dhananjay Munde. Jitendra Awhad has taken this to Twitter and tweeted that Kiran Mane who plays the role of Vilas Patil in the show Mulgi Jhali Ho of Star Pravah has been suddenly expelled because he has asked tough questions about the policies laid down by the central government and because he writes on social media in the same line which follows the thoughts of social reformists like Mahatma Phule, Shahu Maharaj, and Babasaheb Ambedkar.”
स्टार प्रवाहावरील “मुलगी झाली हो” या मालिकेतील विलास पाटील पात्र साकारणा-या किरण माने या अभिनेत्यास फुले, शाहु, आंबेडकर विचारांची कास धरुन सोशल मिडीयावर लिहीतो, केंद्र सरकारच्या चुकीच्या धोरणांबद्दल प्रश्न विचारतो म्हणुन अचानक मालिकेतुल काढुन टाकले गेले.
— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) January 13, 2022
Dhananjay Munde has also tweeted about this incident. He has written that “An actor like Kiran Mane expresses himself about political topics as he has got freedom of speech. But Star Pravah has removed him due to political pressures and trolling. This is a sign of falling prey to cultural terrorism.”
आपल्या अभिव्यक्ती स्वातंत्र्याचा वापर करून किरण मानेंसारखा अभिनेता राजकीय विषयावर व्यक्त झाला म्हणून राजकीय दबावाला आणि ट्रोलिंगला बळी पडून @StarPravah ने त्यांना काढून टाकणे म्हणजे सांस्कृतिक दहशतवादाला बळी पडल्याचे लक्षण आहे. #IStandWith_KiranMane
— Dhananjay Munde (@dhananjay_munde) January 14, 2022
(संग्रहित छायाचित्र) pic.twitter.com/LqRA4Y1G78
Seeking justice from Sharad Pawar
The actor himself has met with NCP president Sharad Pawar and has hoped that he will do something in this regard. While talking about his brief meet with Sharad Pawar, Kiran Mane has said that “We have one and the only leader who is very sensitive, thoughtful, prudent and knows the cultural field, he is Sharad Pawar. Secondly, I don’t see anyone. He can listen to everything with a neutral view. So I took my side to him. My side is, what I am saying now, what I have learned from the man of the channel, the political role, and so on. So I talked to him about it. I showed him all the documents related to my political role. I showed him all the previous threats that I received and posts. From my point of view, I explained to him.”
He further said that “An actor who works wholeheartedly, works without any hassle, to remove him suddenly … without giving a reason, to remove him without giving a chance to put his side is cultural terrorism.”
On being asked about what did Sharad Pawar said on the whole incident, Kiran Mane said that “People who respond immediately are very shallow. Saheb is not one of them. He quietly listens to everything. His questions are very sharp. Only a real person can sit in front of this gentleman, a fake person cannot sit. He asks two or three sharp questions that show where the person is. So he asked me questions, and I answered them honestly. Saheb will think a little. He may try to understand the other side as well and then let’s see what he decides.”
Many Marathi artists like Anita Kelkar and Sameer Vidvans were also seen expressing concern about Kiran Mane through their social media posts.
