Vishal Bhardwaj: Great time as art flourishes better under suppression

Accepting that the country is going through a difficult time in terms of freedom of expression, eminent Indian filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj on Saturday said it is a good time for artistes as art and creativity flourishes better whenever there are attempts to suppress it.

"The problems with freedom of speech has always been there. But I think it is a great time for the artists and creative people. The more we get suppressed the more we would flourish," Bhardwaj said on the sidelines of an event devoted to his new book of poems, "Nude" at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival here.

The filmmaker, who delivered critically-acclaimed films like "Omkara" and "Haider", and also has a verse on the issues of lynchings in recent times, said he would keep on expressing his opinions on social problems in the platform he thinks are appropriate.

"I will keep on expressing myself on those things in the medium I think is appropriate. If you know the right way, you can always say what you want to say," he said.

He also said the artists and the film industry would retaliate against the oppression and attack on freedom of speech when the time is right.

"If you want to hit someone you should wait for the right time to punch his face, there is no point punching in the air. So I think artistes will come out and raise their voice at the appropriate time. History is a proof that we have not been scared of anybody," he added.

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