Actor Arjun Kapoor says he doesn't take offence when people crack jokes at his expense but making fun of martyrs, like his Panipat character Sadashivrao Bhau, is "sad" and "uncouth".
Many memes emerged after the posters of Panipat, the actor's upcoming period drama, were released, especially with Arjun at the centre, who plays the Maratha warrior Sadashivrao in the Ashutosh Gowariker directorial.
Asked how he reacts to these memes, Arjun said if people joke about "this film", they are "making fun of people who have sacrificed themselves for India".
"You make fun of me, I am here today I won't be tomorrow. But if you're making fun of this film, you're making fun of people who have sacrificed themselves for India.
"I don't see anyone making fun of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, I've never seen a meme on Subhas Chandra Bose. But I'm seeing memes on Sadashivrao Bhau and nobody says anything about it," the actor said in a group interview on Monday.
Arjun said Sadashivrao was a valiant soldier and martyr.
"These people were martyrs. Nobody has stood up and said this (memes) is uncouth and rude. I feel it's sad we are allowing it to happen.
"I will crack jokes on myself. I don't have any issues. If you crack jokes on me, I am used to it, you're making fun of me because I'm relevant. I've laughed at many of these in these past. The sad part is the character, the film which is being made fun of, that's unfair."
The actor said people are making fun of Sadashivrao because no one knows the story.
"If you were taught this story from childhood, you'd have agreed that these characters shouldn't be made fun of. I will laugh a million times over jokes on myself. But there's no balance on social media today, it has become derogatory and negative," he added.
Asked why it is assumed that when someone makes fun of a character in a film, they are also poking fun at the historical personality, Arjun said there is a way to "appreciate and criticise."
"There's an extremist take on criticism. Interpretation is a must... There's nothing wrong in being critical. I'm critical of other people's work. I'm self critical too, but there is a way to have a logical conversation."
