Filmmaker Sanoj Mishra, who was launching viral ‘Kumbh Mela girl’ Monalisa Bhosle in a movie, has broken the silence on the allegations levelled against him by the latter at a press conference in Kochi. He addressed the audience in a video and called the claims baseless. He further mentioned that ‘along with jihadis, Christian missionaries from Kerala’ have teamed up against him after he spoke against Monalisa and Farman Khan’s marriage. The filmmaker said that this could be his ‘final’ video amid the growing backlash.
What did Sanoj Mishra say about ‘Kumbh Mela girl’ Monalisa?
Sanoj Mishra appeared in a video on Instagram and reacted to Monalisa’s allegations of misconduct. He said, “[Loosely translated to English from Hindi] Greetings to the people of the country, my respectful salutations. As you all have been seeing, over the past several days, after the Monalisa ‘love jihad’ matter came to light, I started a campaign across the country against it and in support of the victim’s family. The people of the country appreciated it a lot and also supported it. But now the situation is starting to change a bit. The matter is that, along with jihadis, Christian missionaries from Kerala have also come together and are conspiring against me in a joint operation. Today, as you can see, that girl is being persuaded and influenced to speak against me on social media, where baseless things are being said.”
He added, “This is how jihadis brainwash and how far they can take someone. This is the same girl whom I used to teach. My own children would get upset with me, asking why I taught Mona Lisa and not them. That was the level of attachment I had with her, and today, see how far things have been taken. Now I can also feel the pain of that father whose daughter, Monalisa, said that she feels her life is in danger from me. From that perspective, the allegations being made against me and the things happening are not very big matters. I am always capable of dealing with any situation and fighting through it. I will never bow my head in front of jihadis or traitors.”
“Today, I promise all of you that the way these people have conspired and spread things against me through a press conference, the whole country and the world are watching it. Why are they watching it? Because earlier, in every video you see, Monalisa has only spoken good things about me. In Kerala, where big ministers are openly promoting such marriages and issuing posters like ‘The Real Kerala Story,’ this is all being done to defame Sanatan and to put a stain on it. Jai Hindurashtra,” he also said, urging the authorities to take cognisance of the matter following threats to him and his family. “Sathiyon ho sakta hai ki ye Mera antim video ho (This could be my last video),” he wrote in the caption. Watch the video here:
What were Monalisa’s allegations against Sanoj Mishra?
Among the many allegations, Monalisa highlighted Sanoj Mishra’s behaviour, claiming a pattern of exploitation. “Sanoj Mishra is so dirty that he uses the name of films to talk to young girls, molests them, and says, ‘I will give you this film, do this.’ It is false; Sanoj Mishra does dirty work,” she said.
When asked why she did not file a police complaint earlier, Monalisa said she had considered it but was discouraged. “I was going to, but my family stopped me, saying, ‘Don’t do anything now.’ My family didn’t support me. What could I do there? My family left me. I request the whole country’s government to help us. Our posters are being burnt openly. We are being threatened to be cut and killed openly.”
She also claimed that Mishra has been interfering in her personal life, especially after her marriage to Farman. “Sanoj Mishra wants riots. Sanoj Mishra thinks, ‘Let me sit like a king and watch, let them fight each other and die.’ Sanoj Mishra wants this. Sanoj Mishra wants terrorism in the whole country, wants fights, all this.”
Continuing, she added, “Both of us are being threatened to be killed openly. Even then, the public is just watching with folded hands. Is loving a crime? And Sanoj Mishra wants exactly this. He thinks, ‘Why didn’t Monalisa come to me? Why did she marry Farman?’ Sanoj Mishra is like this.”
Addressing what she called false claims around her husband, she said, “But this Sanoj Mishra, who is the director, some people are under his pressure and are making false accusations against me that he is a terrorist. This is nothing like that. The whole world knows.”
Sanoj Mishra was directing a film titled The Diary of Manipur, starring Monalisa in the lead role.
