Mirzapur 2 makers apologise to author SM Pathak for hurting sentiments

The makers of the web series Mirzapur Season 2 on Friday issued an apology to Hindi crime fiction writer Surender Mohan Pathak for allegedly misrepresenting his book titled Dhabba in a scene.

The letter of apology was shared on the verified Twitter account of show producers Excel Entertainment. It is addressed to Pathak and signed by Puneet Krishna, one of the creators and the writer of the series.

The letter reads:

Dear Surender Mohan Pathak

"It has been brought to my notice by you that there is a scene in the recently released series-- Mirzapur Season 2 -- which depicts a character named Satyanand Tripathi, reading a book named 'Dhabba' which has been written by you and this depiction is supplemented with an unrelated voiceover (VO) which has hurt your sentiments and the sentiments of your fans and well-wishers."

"We sincerely apologise for the same and would like to convey to you that this was not done with any malicious intent or to tarnish/damage your reputation. We are aware that you are a writer of repute and your work is held in high regard in the world of Hindi crime fiction."

"We would like to assure you that to rectify this situation, as discussed with you and as per your wishes, we will blur the book cover in the scene or remove the VO within a reasonable time of 3 weeks."

"Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies for inadvertently hurting your sentiments." The letter came in response to a statement issued by Pathak earlier this week on Twitter where he had accused the makers of the web series of "mischievous misrepresentation" of his novel in the second season of the show.

The statement Pathak posted on his unverified Twitter account had said: "What the character has been depicted reading from 'Dhabba' has absolutely no bearing with any part of the original text of 'Dhabba' and also there is no character bearing the name Baldev Raj in the novel in the said context.

On the contrary, what is being read is sheer porno, the undersigned cannot even dream of writing, supposedly to titillate the viewers. But in the process, the whole sequence is shown as an excerpt from my novel 'Dhabba' which amounts to mischievous misrepresentation. The object appears to be an attempt to tarnish my image as a celebrated writer of Hindi crime fiction who is ruling the roost since the last several decades.

The sequence defames me as an author and puts me in bad light as a well-known mystery writer which I am since more than last five decades." On Friday evening, Pathak accepted the letter of apology and asked them to make the necessary rectification.

He tweeted: "We thank you for considering our letter and for your reply. We accept your apology and expect that the rectification will take place within the 3 weeks' time as requested by you."