Anurag Kashyap doubles down on Brahmin insult with more slurs in ‘apology’

New Delhi: Anurag Kashyap, a filmmaker displaying cheap and roadside skills, has once again stirred controversy by doubling down on his derogatory remarks against the Brahmin community, this time under the guise of an apology. 

Kashyap posted a lengthy note on Instagram on Friday following massive outrage on his ‘urinating on Brahmins’ remark, which, far from expressing genuine remorse, reeks of defiance and further inflames the already volatile situation surrounding the Phule biopic controversy. 

The controversy began when Kashyap, known for his provocative stance on social issues, responded to a social media user who challenged him on the Phule biopic, a film depicting the revolutionary work of Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule in combating caste and gender inequality in 19th-century India. 

The user’s comment, “Brahmins tumhare baap hain. Jitna tumhari unse sulgegi utna tumhari sulgaayenge (Brahmins are your fathers. The more you mess with them, the more they will burn you),” prompted a vile response from Kashyap: “Brahmin pe main mootoonga.. koi problem? (I will urinate on Brahmins... any problem?)” 

This crass statement, dripping with disdain, sparked outrage among the Brahmin community and beyond, leading to severe backlash.

Kashyap’s latest Instagram post reveals a man unrepentant and emboldened, using the pretext of protecting his family to justify his earlier slur while slyly adding more insults. 

In his post, he writes, “This is my apology, not for my post, but for that one line taken out of context and the brewing hatred. No action or speech is worth your daughter, family, friends and colleagues getting rape and death threats from the kingpins of sanskar.” 

Here, Kashyap not only refuses to retract his offensive statement but also takes a vicious jab at the Brahmin community by labelling them as “kingpins of sanskar”—a thinly veiled insult implying that they are rigid, oppressive enforcers of traditional values. 

This is no apology; it’s a backhanded attack dressed up as contrition.

Kashyap’s audacity doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say, “So, what has been said cannot be taken back — and I won’t take it back. But if you want to abuse someone, direct it at me. My family has neither said anything nor do they ever speak out.” 

Here, Kashyap paints himself as a martyr as he attempts to deflect criticism by invoking the threats against his family while simultaneously refusing to own up to the hurt he has caused. 

By stating that he “won’t take it back,” he effectively doubles down on his original slur, showing a complete lack of remorse for the pain inflicted on an entire community. His words are not those of a man seeking to heal divisions but of someone intent on fanning the flames of discord.

Shubham Shukla, a user responding to Kashyap’s Instagram post, captured the sentiment of many in the Brahmin community with a scathing reply: “No intellectual is making obscene remarks about your family. But you consider yourself an intellectual, don’t you? Then why did you make an obscene remark about the entire Brahmin community? What harm have Brahmins done to you that you spoke about urinating on them?” 

Shukla’s words cut to the heart of the issue, exposing the contradiction between Kashyap’s self-proclaimed intellectualism and his crude, baseless attack on an entire community. 

The Phule film, originally slated for release on April 11, 2025, faced objections from organisations like the Akhil Bhartiya Brahmin Samaj and Parshuram Aarthik Vikas Mahamandal, who took issue with its content. 

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) demanded edits, including the removal of caste-specific terms like ‘Mahar’, ‘Mang’, and ‘Peshwai’, as well as a modification of the phrase “3,000 saal purani ghulami” to “kai saal purani ghulami.” 

These changes were incorporated, and the film was rescheduled for release on April 25. 

For the record, the ‘intellectual’ Kashyap is not directly involved in the production of the Phule film as a director, producer, or actor.