Muslim filmmaker uses casteist slur to mock Hindu festival of Holi, calls it "festival of chhapris"
India 
19 February, 2025
Case Summary
An FIR has been lodged against Bollywood filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan for making derogatory remarks about the Hindu festival of Holi. The case was filed following a complaint by Vikash Fhatak, widely known as Hindustani Bhau, through his legal representative, Advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh. According to recent reports, the complaint was officially registered today at Khar Police Station, demanding legal action against Khan for her controversial remarks made during an episode of Celebrity MasterChef on 20th February. Currently serving as a judge on the show, Khan stated, “Holi is the favourite festival of all the chhapri people,” a remark that sparked widespread criticism online. The term “chhapri” is considered derogatory and casteist, leading to intense backlash and social media outrage. In his complaint, Fhatak asserted that Khan’s comment had deeply hurt his religious sentiments, as well as those of the wider Hindu community. Advocate Deshmukh further stressed that the statement was a blatant insult to Hindu religious beliefs, arguing that using such a derogatory term to describe a sacred festival was not only inappropriate but also capable of inciting communal tensions. As a result, an FIR has been registered against Farah Khan under IPC sections 196, 299, 302, and 353.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus and within this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. Farah Khan’s remark, equating the sacred festival of Holi with a derogatory term, exemplifies a clear instance of disparaging Hindu religious traditions. Her choice of words not only trivialises a festival that holds deep spiritual and cultural significance for Hindus but also reinforces negative stereotypes. Given that Holi is a widely celebrated festival symbolising devotion, unity, and the victory of good over evil, reducing it to a slur is both offensive and indicative of underlying bias. Here, one can argue that a caste-specific slur is aimed at the micro identity of those belonging to the Dalit section of the Hindu community and not their Hindu identity itself. However, as far as Abrahamic religions are concerned, the micro identities of caste, region, and language are secondary. It is the religious identity that drives the animosity of the perpetrator against the Hindu victim. In this case, while Farah Khan used a caste-based slur to describe a sacred festival, the animosity was driven by his animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. Therefore, the fact that caste slurs were hurled at the victim by the perpetrator makes it a religiously motivated hate crime against the victim. Furthermore, what is particularly concerning in this instance is that the statement was made on a widely viewed television show, amplifying its reach and increasing the risk of normalising derogatory rhetoric against Hindu festivals. Given that this deliberate mockery of a sacred festival stems from an evident bias against Hindus and their faith, this case has been documented in the tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
