President of the All India Nepali Bhasha Parishad Rajgopal Bhandari, remains firm about his decision to drag Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan to court following his alleged remarks against Nepal and the Nepalese community. The Parishad has a membership of over 150,000 Nepalese.

Bhandari says he has sought assistance from legal experts and will file a criminal suit against Hrithik in Calcutta's Bankshall court. Anticipating threats to his life in view of his announcement last Friday, Bhandari has gone into hiding. After a day-and-a-half long chase, Rifat Jawaid finally succeeded in tracing this mystery man.

Why this legal battle against Hrithik Roshan in India?

What Hrithik uttered against Nepal and the Nepalese can never be commended by any sane person. We, on behalf of the All India Nepali Bhasha Parishad, have asked for a formal apology from Hrithik Roshan. Had his comments been confined to Nepal only, the Nepalese residing in India would not have decided to seek legal recourse. But what has angered us most is his statement against the community.

As an individual, Hrithik has the right to dislike any country and we being citizens of India won't grumble. But we will surely not keep quiet if someone like Hrithik openly says that he hates the Nepali community. Despite our repeated requests, he is adamant about not issuing an apology. Therefore, this has become a prestige issue for the Nepalese.

Nepalis are sentimental and we will make Hrithik realise that no one can rest in peace after making slanderous remarks against our community. He either has to apologise or face the legal consequences. I was of the opinion that we should file a civil case against him, but my solicitors advised me to go for a criminal suit.

Why a criminal suit?

True, his statements may not have amounted to a crime, but it has badly threatened the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950. Indians of Nepali origin are hurt about what the actor said in an interview to Star Plus. Even though he has denied the comments, he should have been generous to apologise since it involved the sentiments of millions of Nepalese among whom he was quite popular.

Those accusing Hrithik have been unable to provide substantial proof in support of the allegations.

This is no secret that he made anti-Nepalese comments in an interview on Star TV on December 14. My cousin watched the programme. There are many others who have claimed to have witnessed that interview.

The Star management has denied that Hrithik ever made such derogatory remarks.

Star is lying, though I haven't seen the interview. Even Nepali newspapers have confirmed that Hrithik expressed his dislike against Nepalese. You think only Hrithik is speaking the truth and the rest are lying? That his words should be trusted because he is a famous star? Our sentiments have no significance because we, Nepalese, are poor and no match for Hrithik's stardom, wealth and power.

Millions of Nepali students who have been staging protests for days cannot be wrong. All of them are not crazy. We have lost six of our brothers and Hrithik will have to pay a heavy price if he continues to maintain a stubborn attitude. We have asked all 10 million Indians with Nepali origins to boycott Hrithik's movies in the future. We are trying to get the tape of the interview. We will also file a defamatory suit against Star once we succeed in obtaining the tape.

Even if we believe you that many Nepalese watched Hrithik criticise your community, why did the protestors realise this so late?

See, word spread slowly in Nepal. The communication there is not as well oiled as India. So it was natural to have taken some days before everybody came to know about the actor's slanderous remarks. And when they came to know, they began protesting. The protestors are all educated, college graduates. There cannot be smoke without a fire. Why aren't they protesting against Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor and other Hindi film stars? They have always been quite popular in Nepal. The Nepalese have often treated them like demigods. But it doesn't mean one should play with our sentiments.

How safe are Indians in Nepal today? Similarly, how insecure do Nepalese like you feel in India after the Hrithik episode?

It is natural that Indians in Nepal are a little scared. But the good news is that the protestors have slowed down their agitation. I hope things will be back to normal within a few days. As for the Nepalese residing in India -- well, I can't say about the law and order elsewhere in the country -- but we are quite secure in Bengal. Beginning new year, we have decided to stage massive protests in Darjeeling and Sikkim. However, we have no plans to launch an agitation in Calcutta since none of the theatres are showing Hrithik's movies currently.

Don't you think vested interests are instrumental for the episode?

It's rubbish. I don't think anyone is trying to settle personal scores. It is a simple case of Nepalese emotion. The entire thing will end overnight by a mere apology from Hrithik. It's an irony that one person's arrogance has affected the diplomatic relationship of two friendly countries.

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