Bheed trailer removed from YouTube after backlash to film's depiction of lockdown, fans ask 'is this democracy'

The trailer of Anubhav Sinha’s upcoming film Bheed has inexplicably vanished from YouTube merely days after its release. On Thursday, many viewers noted that the trailer was not available on YouTube and some realised that the link had been made private after it got millions of views on the platform. This happened after the trailer received some backlash for the film’s apparent negative depiction of the lockdown.

Many Twitter users quote tweeted the link of the trailer shared by the film’s production house Benaras Media, saying that the video appeared to have been taken down. “The official trailer of the movie 'Bheed' is now private on Youtube after backlash. The movie is about the Covid lockdown mismanagement and the plight of the poor migrant labourers, who were forced to walk back home,” read one tweet. The video has indeed been made private but there is no clarity from the makers as to what is the reason behind the move.

Bheed, which stars Rajkummar Rao along with an ensemble cast, focusses on the first lockdowns after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and how they affected the common folk, raising issues like the migrant crisis and lack of resources among the common populace. The trailer was praised by many for its realistic and gritty depiction of that harrowing time. However, others had criticised it for being ‘agenda-driven’ and ‘needlessly negative and anti-establishment’.

Many fans of the filmmaker are connecting the video being private to the backlash the film and trailer received. “A trailer is being forced to be private because of trolls. Is this democracy,” wrote one. Many others urged the makers to make the trailer public again.

Described as ‘inspired by invisible true events’, the film also stars Dia Mirza, Aditya Srivastava, Ashutosh Rana, Kritika Kamra, Pankaj Kapur, and Bhumi Pednekar. It is set to release in theatres on March 24.

The film’s synopsis reads, “Get ready to be moved by the untold story of a crisis that shook the whole nation. A time when borders of disparity divided the people. Witness the moving tale of #Bheed and one man's fight for humanity.”