Everything you need to know about the ‘Gumnaami’ controversy

The poster and teaser of Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Gumnaami’ have created a flatter on social media while there are allegations that a certain Gumnami Baba is wrongly portrayed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It has dragged the film into the eye of a storm. Srijit, however, refutes all the allegations, saying the film, produced by SVF, is not about “any claim that Netaji was Gumnaami Baba”.

Here we take a look at the controversies that have engulfed the Prosenjit Chatterjee starrer upcoming thriller.

Srijit and Aniket kicked off the Gumnaami-Netaji controversy when Aniket in a Facebook post took a dig at Gumnami baba — the godman who has been rumored to be Netaji and his series of posts continue to attack the ascetic. Srijit on his part once said, “There are many, like Aniket Chatterjee, who don’t believe in the Gumnaami baba theory and believe he was an imposter. And many who believe he was Netaji. Since the Nation wants to know more about these various schools of thought about Netaji’s final years, it definitely will once the film releases. Till then, I can only say, Aniketda has perhaps in a hurry missed out on mentioning some crucial evidence which augurs well for the Gumnaami theory and also dramatically distorted some claims of the Gumnaami theorists for the effect.”

In reply, Aniket Chattopadhyay said: “Having read many books on the Gumnaami baba, I believe that he was an imposter. Srijit is one of my favorite filmmakers and I am sure that he too will show the man as a fraud. Let alone any concrete or circumstantial evidence, whatever this man said makes it evident that he was either an imposter or a devil.”

‘Gumnaami’ is in the eye of a storm, with members of the Bose family showing their strong disapproval of the film which will hit the theatres on October 02. Netaji's grandnephew and historian Dr. Sugata Bose calls the film a deliberate attempt to malign the iconic figure. “I feel awful that I even have to mention the name of Subhas Chandra Bose and some Gumnami Baba in the same sentence. It is an insult to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a travesty of history and a mockery of the arts. I understand the director is trying to say there are three so-called theories. That is completely false. There is one history backed with a lot of evidence and eyewitness accounts that Netaji laid down his life fighting for his country's freedom on August 18, 1945,” said Sugata Bose.

Srijit Mukherji was served a legal notice a day after releasing the teaser of ‘Gumnaami’ on August 15 regarding the film based on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. A lawyer acting on behalf of his client, Debabrata Roy sent the notice asking the national award-winning filmmaker to refrain from portraying facts while depicting the story of Bose. Debabrata Roy, a huge Netaji fan, urged Srijit to "drop the project" as the film would promote manipulation and misrepresentation of facts on the hero of India's freedom struggle.

The director insists his film doesn’t claim to say that Netaji was Gumnami Baba himself. “A filmmaker has to ask questions, not to give answers. So I didn’t give any verdict or answer. I have only followed the Mukherjee Commission proceedings and the debates and questions that arose out of these three theories. In the end, I have also quoted the commission where it debunked the plain clash theory but also said that there is no clinching evidence that proves 'Gumnami Baba' was Netaji,” explains Srijit.

He added: “People deserve to know what happened to Netaji. Many of us aren’t convinced about the plane crash theory and feel there is some mystery which needs to be solved. My film tries to do exactly that by raising questions. I have shown Netaji in all three scenarios and have questioned each one of them. My question is that a filmmaker in a free country is free to ask questions.”

After Gumnami Baba breathed his last in Faizabad, hundreds of mysterious objects including his correspondence and notes were found in his room. Many of these objects reportedly had connections with Subhas Chandra Bose and those who were close to Bose in the pre-Independence era. During that time several Bhagwanji followers had to face the questions from local media and they allegedly gave out that Bhagwanji was none other than Netaji to their belief. They even said that they had to remain tight-lipped as advised by Bhagwanji in "national interest".

All pictures courtesy: Twitter