Veteran actor and writer Piyush Mishra, who starred in the film Jahangir National University (JNU) earlier this year, has now issued an "unconditional apology" for being a part of it. He stated that it was the first film that he agreed to do even without reading the script, and it was because of the "bitterness" inside him.
During an interview with Dainik Jagran, Mishra opened up on the criticism he received for starring the controversial film JNU, which was labelled as propaganda by a section of the audience. He then issued an apology and also called it a "foolish decision".
"I unconditionally apologise for this. I did it because of bitterness. I am very sorry. We all make mistakes, it doesn’t matter who we are or how old we are. It was a moment of foolishness, and I made a foolish decision. This was the first film I agreed to without reading the script," he said.
He went on to say, "I have only one scene in the movie, even though they tried to sell it on my name. I realised that holding onto resentment only makes you a bitter person."
Mishra also looked back at his Communist past and stated that even though he did not agree to them on a lot of aspects earlier in his life, he followed them because he did not have an personality of his own.
"The ideology seeped in. I didn’t take up work in Mumbai, I turned down money. But when I didn’t have food to feed myself, I realised that this ideology was empty," he said, adding that he later discovered how so many people were "disillusioned" by the idea of Communism.
"It was because of this bitterness that I did the film JNU," he said.
Mishra also took a swipe at Leftists and said that he still does not like them. "Mujhe malum hai leftists ki aukaat kya hai," he said.
JNU released in June 2024 and it stirred a massive controversy when it hit the theatres. The film also starred Urvashi Rautela, Ravi Kishan, Vijay Raaz, Sonnalli Seygall, and others.
