Actor Prakash Raj, who is known for his strong opinions, recently opened up about Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor’s ‘Abir Gulaal’ not being allowed to be released in India after the ghastly Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. He also stated that he is against banning films unless they promote child abuse or pornography.

The actor cited many examples and stated that the ‘public sentiments are getting hurt at the drop of a hat’. He also pointed to recent examples of films getting banned or censored after public outrage and named films like ‘Padmaavat’, ‘Pathaan’, ‘L2: Empuraan’ and Fawad Khan’s ‘Abir Gulaal’.

Discussing the ‘Abir Gulaal’ controversy, Prakash Raj said, “I’m not for banning any film, whether it’s propaganda or not, unless it’s promoting child abuse or pornography. Why stop a film? Let people decide.”

He then recounted the public outrage against Deepika Padukone for her role in ‘Padmaavat’ and ‘Pathaan’. He said, “People were out there saying, ‘I’ll chop off her nose,’ just over a costume or a colour.”

However, Prakash Raj claimed that this is not an outrage any more, but a strategy. “They want to create fear. Films aren’t being made. Central censorship has taken over. It’s not just state pressure now – it’s systematic,” he explained, and added that this was against freedom of expression. He further stated that this will push the younger generation to self-censor even before their project takes shape.

While discussing Mohanlal’s ‘L2: Empuraan’ controversy, Prakash Raj questioned the government: “The Kashmir Files releases without trouble. Others? Not so lucky.” The actor also talked about selective outrage as he criticised the government and said, “When too much power is given to anyone, they become intolerable.”

In the last few months, films like ‘L2: Empuraan’, ‘Chhaava’, ‘Phule’, and ‘Abir Gulaal’ have been facing controversies over their subject and portrayal of real-life events.