No Toilet Humour Please

Shree Narayan Singh has hit the headlines for his satire Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.

- Raghuvendra Singh

In an industry known for its penchant for candy floss romances shot on exotic locales, comes an unusually titled love tale set in the rustic hinterland dealing with real issues of sanitation and hygiene. No wonder, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK), directed by Shree Narayan Singh and starring Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar, has made news since it was launched.

It created controversy last November when Shree went to shoot it in Nandgaon in Mathura. Reportedly, an irate sadhu there announced a prize of a crore for the person who would bring Shree’s tongue. “There was so much tension that I had to hire personal security for myself,” he says. It was alleged that the film violated an age-old tradition.