Actor Suniel Shetty had recently appealed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to work towards diminishing the anti-Bollywood sentiment across the country which has gained momentum due to the hashtag #BoycottBollywood. Now, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has also urged the government to 'stop' the #BoycottBollywood trend. In a statement, FWICE said that a film involves the labour of not just the film's director or lead cast, but also involves the hard work of lakhs of people who work on a film set. So, by boycotting a movie, the livelihood of these people goes for a toss. "FWICE strongly condemns the ongoing trend of "#Boycott Bollywood" and seeks immediate protection against the hooliganism in theatres and the threats to the producers," the statement read. FWICE further noted that the widespread Boycott Bollywood trend has "raised a major situation of survival of the common workers, technicians and the artistes who are earning their daily bread from this industry." A part of the statement also called out people who have been spreading hate against members of the film industry. "A film is made with passion and dream of success. However, these blooming dreams get shattered by such trends which are many times influenced by people believing in hatred and those who do not support peace, harmony and unity. People have been barging into the theatres and threatening the public and forcefully vacating the theatres. There have been threats to the producers and the lead actor They are abused on social media platforms with filthy/vulgar language." FWICE suggested that if someone has any issue with a film's content, they should write about it to the Central Board of Film Certification instead of vandalising theatres. "We strongly condemn these acts and the boycotting of any film which is already certified by the final cell of the Film authorities which is the CBFC. Getting a film certified through the CBFC is itself an achievement as the film and the filmmakers are going through the entire process of certification. The protestors of the film should thus follow the right channel and report their grievances against the film to the CBFC and other governing authorities rather than blindly coming up with such a destructive trend to blatantly boycott the entire industry," the statement read. It concluded, "FWICE stands strong in support of the producers who are creating films and generating employment to lakhs of people and help them to earn their living and survive with dignity. We urge the government to intervene in the matter and stop this trend of 'Boycott Bollywood.'" Currently, Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming movie Pathaan is facing protests due to its song "Besharam Rang".
