Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has once again sparked controversy with a provocative comment, this time regarding the Gaza conflict. On Diwali, he posted on X (formerly Twitter): “In INDIA only one day is DIWALI and in GAZA, every day is DIWALI???” (sic). The remark quickly went viral, drawing widespread outrage online.
Political leaders and netizens accused Varma of being insensitive and trivialising a humanitarian tragedy. Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the post, saying, “Imagine comparing Diwali celebration to Gaza’s crimes of war. At least these social media platforms help us identify the ‘famous’ yet hateful amongst us. What makes a person so hateful is something I’ll never fathom or ever hope to.”
AICC Media Coordinator Harmeet Kaur K also slammed the tweet, calling it “shocking” and accusing the filmmaker of “celebrating our festival with genocide and killing of babies.”
This is not the first time RGV has courted controversy; a similar remark during Diwali 2023 also drew sharp criticism. Prominent journalists Sara Ather and Rana Ayyub joined the backlash. Ather tweeted, “People outside India cannot even begin to comprehend the absolute gutter level of politics that is mainstream in India and is very much advocated by Indian celebrities.”