Mumbai: Kiran Mane, an actor working on Marathi TV channel Star Pravah’s popular serial Mulgi Zaali Ho, was laid off from the show on Thursday, January 13. According to Mane, he was told not to report for shooting on the basis of some strong political views against the ruling BJP government which he had shared on social media.

Following the network's decision, Mane took to Facebook to post about the incident.

The decision to remove the actor met with considerable objection from social media users, as can be seen by the numerous comments in support of him made on this Facebook post as well as the hashtag #istandwith_KiranMane being used on Facebook as well as Twitter. Internet users have attacked Star Parvah for supposedly spreading authoritarianism, an intolerance for political opposition and the creation of a Hindutva hegemony.

While many Marathi TV and film actors have expressed social and political views in the past, this is ostensibly the first instance in which an actor has been laid off for doing so.

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Senior actors like Sharad Ponkshe and Vikram Gokhale have openly supported right-wing, Savarkarite ideology in the past. Moreover, Hindi film actor Kangana Ranaut had recently stated that India earned its freedom as a "bheek" (alms) from the British and that the country only gained "true" independence in 2014.

Gokhale even held a press conference in which he said that he supported Ranaut’s statement. Yet, no action was taken against him by any film producer or channel.

On the other hand, Mane has allegedly been dismissed for taken an open stand against the current ruling dispensation and its right-wing ideology.

Speaking to a newspaper after the incident, Mane said, “This is mobocracy. You should remember that this is happening in the Maharashtra of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sant Tukaram; the Maharashtra of Shahu, Phule and Ambedkar. Maharashtra should not actually tolerate this mobocracy. Let’s see what happens in my case. I must tell you that if I don’t get justice, no one will dare to speak against mobocracy. If I get justice, many people will come forward and speak up. People should decide which way they want to go. Read all my (Facebook) posts. You will not find the poison of casteism anywhere. You will not find that I have criticised anyone by hitting below the belt. When we used to work in theatre, we used to criticise Indira Gandhi and Rajeev Gandhi. Even Congress leaders used to applaud us for that. They didn’t say that you should not criticise us or (make) any such threat. But now even if we write one sentence, we are threatened by saying ‘How can you write this?’” 

Reactions from political circles

The incident also saw reactions from within Marathi political circles. Jitendra Awhad, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and a minister in the current Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state, expressed his anger through a series of tweets. 

“Kiran Mane, who portrays the character of Vilas Patil in the TV serial Mulgi Zaali Ho on Star Pravah, has been fired suddenly because he writes on social media, upholds the ideology of Phule, Shahu and Ambedkar and questions the central government on their wrong policies. Maharashtra has honoured artists like Dada Kondake, P. L. Deshpande and Nilu Phule, even when they criticised (governments). Remember, it is wrong to threaten someone’s livelihood just because they followed this intellectual tradition of Maharashtra and criticised you,” his tweets said.

Similarly, Atul Londhe Patil, secretary and chief spokesperson of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, said, “What has happened in the case of actor Kiran Mane should stop. Such authoritarianism will not be allowed in Maharashtra. According to the Constitution, every person has the right to express his or her opinion. The Congress will not tolerate attempts to hurt someone’s livelihood to enforce one particular ideology. The party stands firmly with Kiran Mane.”

Star Parvah, however, refuted Mane's claims and in a statement issued on Saturday, claimed that the actor was laid off for "inappropriate behaviour" with his female co-stars on set, the Times of India reported. In the same statement, the newspaper notes that the show's creators called Mane's allegations "baseless and contrived", going on to note, "It is unfortunate that such allegations have been made."

The statement also alleges that several co-actors, the director and other unit members of the show made several complaints about Mane's "continuous disrespectful and offensive behaviour towards them", further saying that this behaviour which violated the "basic decency and decorum on the sets of the show" continued despite several warnings.

In turn, Mane denied the channels allegations of misconduct. The Wire contacted Mane for a comment but did not receive a response. The article will be updated if a response from Mane is received.

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