Gujarat teens stand up for ‘Parzania’

AHMEDABAD: The scene seems straight out of last year’s Bollywood hit Rang de Basanti.

A bunch of angry youngsters gathered on the roadside protesting the injustice meted out by a passive establishment towards the release of the contentious movie Parzania.

More than a week after multiplex owners refused to screen the movie based on Gujarat riots fearing vandalism, students in Ahmedabad have decided to boycott multiplexes till the movie is released.

A group of around 40 students from various schools and colleges like Navgujarat, St Xavier’s and Gujarat Vidyapith among others, gathered outside Wide Angle multiplex on Friday to kick off a ‘peaceful campaign’ demanding the release of Parzania in multiplexes in Gujarat.

They will stand at the ticket counter and distribute paper slips with ‘Release Parzania’ printed on them. “A section of politicians cannot decide what movies we should watch, who we should marry, or what festivals to celebrate. How long can this go on? It is about time we put our foot down,” said 16-yearl-old Avni Sethi, student of Mahatma Gandhi International School (MGIS).

“Parzania is a story about a boy lost in Gujarat and there is nothing wrong with the family expecting to find the lost boy through the movie. As for the riots depicted in the movie, it is a fact that the riots happened,” said Chetasi Kane from MGIS.