A day after the Madhya Pradesh government banned the screening of Jodhaa Akbar fearing disturbances, producers UTV Software Communications Ltd moved the MP High Court on Saturday, seeking quashing of the order.
In a writ petition, UTV said the commercial tax department was not authorised to look into apprehensions over law and order in the state. The order has not come from the department concerned such as home, the petition said.
The petition states that a blanket ban on the film in the entire state was not necessary since the Rajput community protested the screening in only a few places.
UTV counsel Akshay Dharmadhikari sought relief on the ground that they were not given a chance to put forth their point of view before the film was taken off the screen. The move was a violation of principles of natural justice, he said.
Another counsel for UTV Siddarth Kapoor told Hindustan Times over the phone from Mumbai that the case would come up for hearing on Monday. “In case the High Court rejects the plea, we will move the Supreme Court,” he said.
The Central Circuit Cine Association, a representative body of film distributors and film exhibitors, on Friday warned that its members would stop screening all films across the state if the ban was not revoked.
{{/usCountry}}The Central Circuit Cine Association, a representative body of film distributors and film exhibitors, on Friday warned that its members would stop screening all films across the state if the ban was not revoked.
{{/usCountry}}Muslims protest Al Risalah
Even as protests against Jodhaa Akbar continued in some parts of the country, a Hindi movie on Islam, Al Risalah, has irked Muslims in Hyderabad.
The city police ordered suspension of screening of the movie at Ramakrishna theatre, following objections by some Muslim religious groups and the MIM party. Protestors from Tanzeem Islah-e-Muashira gathered at the theatre and demanded that the screening be stopped. The movie was originally made in English as The Message and in Arabic as Al Risalah by Oscar-nominated Egyptian director Moustapha Akkad in 1976.
“The film presents a balanced image of Islam and encapsulates the times and teachings of the Prophet of Islam. It has no objectionable scenes. However, we are ready to cut out scenes that offended anyone,” a spokesman of the distributor said.