Filmmaker Prakash Jha, whose Mumbai residence and office were ransacked by activists of the Republican Party of India (RPI) on Saturday, confirmed that nobody got hurt and said he failed to understand the brouhaha over the release of his film Aarakshan, based on caste-based reservation in the Indian education system.

"The censor board has cleared the film without a single cut and with a U/A certificate. I am confident my film has examined the issue of reservation and caste divides with sensitivity. I don't understand why is everybody up in arms against my film. However, it's a democratic country, so everyone has a right to protest," he added.

"Nobody from my office has been hurt. And I'm very grateful for that," Jha said in a statement. The attack started around 5.30pm, according to Jha, who was promoting the film in Delhi at the time. Jha said: "The RPI activists have been protesting outside my office. They have burnt photographs of me and posters of the film. They have also been trying to damage our publicity material and hoardings across the city."

The movie, which features Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik Babbar, is set to hit screens in the UAE on Thursday. The 59-year-old filmmaker said people should stop assuming the content of the film. "The fact of the matter is that they have not seen the film. "They are attacking me on the basis of presumptions and misconceptions about the treatment of the caste issue in Aarakshan. I am a law-abiding and responsible citizen and filmmaker. "I feel it's only fair if my film is judged after it has released."