The controversial dialogue in Lamhaa, where Anupam Kher has criticized the media for giving more emphasis to news of Aishwarya Rai watching the moon on her first Karwa Chauth than the genuine problem being faced by people of Kashmir, is creating a lot of waves.
The dialogue spoken by Anupam Kher, who plays the role of a separatist goes as following, "When Aishwarya Rai is unable to see the moon, it makes big news. But why don’t the media report the plight of those thousands of Kashmiri wives who haven’t seen their husbands for the past many years?"
Whereas many in the film industry have a feeling that the dialogue makes fun for Aishwarya, the director of the film Rahul Dholakia does not agree to this viewpoint. He says, "The dialogue in the film by the separatist leaders uses Mrs. Bachchan as a symbol to the Bollywood centric media who prefer covering the personal lives of icons and intrude into their private lives, making breaking news instead of covering the real life poignant stories of Kashmiri half-widows. The comment cannot be called a slur or an attack on the actress in anyway.”
Dholakia added, "The purpose of the scene was never intended to make fun of Aishwarya Rai. We would never do anything, which would hurt anyone’s sentiments,"
This is a very difficult situation for Dholakia because irrespective of what he may say now, the truth is that along with the media, controversial dialogue in Lamhaa has also made fun of Aishwarya. By making fun of a member of his own industry and that too of the Bachchan family, which is one of the most respected family in the industry, the director may have asked for trouble for himself.
