Actor-musician Anirban Bhattacharya’s band Hooligaanism, which recently made headlines with its satirical take on the current political scenario of the country, has been dropped from the lineup of an upcoming concert in Kolkata.
"We just got the news that the name of Hooligaanism has been omitted from the Nov 1 'Unity Concert' for some unknown reasons. Don't be upset friends," reads a post on the band’s official Facebook page.
The concert, organised by a private event management company, is scheduled to take place at the state-owned Gitanjali Stadium in Kasba on November 1. Several bands, including Lakkhichhara, Fossils and Euphoria, are set to perform at the event.
“There is a bouquet of wonderful bands which will set the stage on fire. But anyway, Hooligaanism won't stop and can't be silenced...Do not hunt for any political motive behind this development. We all know Bengal occupies the first spot in terms of creative liberty and has always been apolitical,” the post mentioned.
Facebook/@Hooligaanism
Bhattacharya found himself at the centre of a controversy following a live performance by his band at a recent concert. The group performed a satirical song packed with political references, having a go at everything from the Prime Minister to policies like SIR. BJP leader Tarunjyoti Tewari lodged a police complaint against Bhattacharya following the performance.
The members of Hooligaanism are Subhadeep Guha, Anirban Bhattacharya, Debraj Bhattacharya, Krishanu Ghosh, Sushruta Goswami, Nilanshuk Dutta, Pritam Das, Pritam Deb Sarkar, and Someswar Bhattacharya.