Ram Gopal Varma: Celebrities should exercise restraint

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma today said that celebrities and influential personalities should exercise restraint while making public comments as harping on issues like intolerance creates a "damaging effect".

Verma had earlier slammed superstar Aamir Khan for his remarks on alleged rise in intolerance in the country which had kicked up a row. Last week, Aamir had expressed his "alarm and despondency" over the rise in recent incidents of intolerance.

Varma and many other Bollywood stars took to social media to express their disapproval with the PK star.

"I read an article that ISIS and these guys have said India Muslims are being killed because they are eating beef... In that kind of an atmosphere an iconic person in India saying that I am scared of (living in) India might send out a wrong signal to people. In spite of freedom of speech, I think big people like them should have some kind of restraint," he said on the sidelines of Times Lit Fest.

The 53-year-old National Award-winning filmmaker feels India has the "least" number of problems regarding violence as compared to the other parts of the world.

"I feel in todays times when ISIS problem is all over the world and Paris attacks and all that... I think India has the least problems with regards to that. So constantly harping on intolerance as if something major happening creates a damaging effect.

"People, who are not bothering about it are also thinking something is happening in the country. So (it is like) drawing attention to a non-issue... I don't think the actors have intended it," the director said.

He added that intolerance has always been there and people debating on it is just a trend, without any authenticity to it.

"Intolerance has always been there... It is a part of human nature. To make a big deal out of it... If Godhra incident happened today that will be height of what we call intolerance. But nothing that has happened is of that scale. I think celebrities and big leaders going on harping about the word intolerance is a fad, I don't think there is any real meaning," Varma said.