Paresh Rawal explains his ‘racist’ comment about Bengalis

Fans will see Paresh Rawal playing a Bengali character in his next film. The film is a tribute to legendary auteur Satyajit Ray's short story, Golpo Bolo Tarini Khuro. His character is very interesting as it is of a storyteller who is hired to tell stories to a top tier businessman who’s insomniac.

The film will be released at an International Film Festival for a world premiere. The controversy was initiated when the actor made a racist remark about Bengalis while he was campaigning in Gujrat. He said, "Gas cylinders are expensive, but their price will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?"

Paresh’s remarks were blown out of proportion and he was heavily called out for casual racism on social media. However, acknowledging his mistakes, he said, "It was a slip of the tongue, and what I said was misconstrued. I genuinely didn’t mean any harm to anybody. It hurts me to know that Bengali people whose art, cinema and literature I look up to, misunderstood me.”