Prime Minister Narendra Modi has indirectly asked BJP leaders, Ministers and functionaries not to make negative and controversial comments against movies. He asked them, though not exactly in these words, not to draw the media's attention to their rants against irrelevant issues.

In an address to BJP leaders at the party's executive meeting, the other day, Modi suggested that working all day on relevant issues gets papered over once controversies are sparked over movies.

It was an indirect reference to the controversies surrounding movies like 'Pathaan' and 'Adipurush'. A Minister from Madhya Pradesh is notorious for threatening filmmakers with protests. Recently, when 'Besharam Rang' song from 'Pathaan' was released, the concerned Minister said that the song must be changed, as it "hurts Hindu sentiments". Earlier, he had spoken out against the depiction of Ravana in the teaser of 'Adipurush'.

Modi's words are also meant to discourage the boycott trends on social media. The fact is that the boycott trends are organic, although they are backed by BJP's IT cell. A majority of ordinary citizens with no direct affiliation to any political party participate in boycott campaigns.