‘Donkey-rickshaw’ gag lands film in trouble

A gag in the film Delhi Belly may just prove a roadblock for the film’s dream run, with an automobile brand threatening to take the producers to court. Read on to find out why.

A gag in the film Delhi Belly may just prove a roadblock for the film’s dream run, with an automobile brand threatening to take the producers to court.

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In the film, Imran Khan’s character is gifted a red car by his would-be father-in-law. On seeing the car, which strongly resembles a Santro, one of his friends comments, “When a donkey f***s a rickshaw, this is what you get.” The joke hasn’t gone down well with the car’s makers, who are demanding that the derogatory reference be taken off the screen.

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"Our team has seen the movie. Even though the car is modified and the branding has been removed, everybody knows it is a Santro. Hyundai will issue a legal notice to the film’s production house, director and producer to remove the dialogue. The legal notice is on its way," says G Sanjay, head, corporate communications, Hyundai Motor India.

The film’s lead actor, Imran, who, during the making of the film, was spotted wearing a T-shirt that had the joke printed on it, refused to comment, saying it is for the producers to take a stand on the issue.

Other sources from the film unit maintained that it was just a joke, not intended to target any brand. “In fact, Aamir made sure that certain changes were made to the car to ensure that it didn’t resemble any specific brand,” said a source.

Viewers, however, are not pleased. “It’s clearly a Santro. Aamir has taken a very clever dig at Shah Rukh through this,” says Preeti Sarin, a BPO worker.