Maria Susairaj, convicted for destruction of evidence in the 2008 Neeraj Grover murder case, has served veteran filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma a notice, asking that his upcoming movie, Not a love story, be shown to her before it is released.
The notice states that Susairaj is worried that the film, allegedly based on her life, will present her in a bad light; as such she demanded that a screening of the film be held for her prior to the release.
The notice further stated that if the filmmaker refused to comply, she would be forced to file a case against him and ask for a stay order on the film's release.
RGV confirmed having received the notice from Susairaj's lawyer, Shaikh M Sharif. "Yes, Maria has threatened to file a case against me and asked for a stay order on the film.
The notice says she fears that the film will show her in a negative light and that she has to be shown the movie and I need to take her permission to release the film, " he said.
But an unyielding Ramu is apparently irked that Susairaj didn't approach him directly. "My lawyer will reply to the notice. But I will not show her the film.
She could have asked me directly. I would have shown it to her. I am not going to do it after being threatened like this, " he said.
He added that there was no reason for him to worry about the stay order because he has always maintained that the movie is not based on Susairaj's life. Rather, it is only inspired by Grover's murder.
Susairaj's lawyer Sharif, on the other hand, is as confident as Varma but only on the other side, maintaining firmly that the court will force him to show her the film.
"We have sent a legal notice to Varma and the Censor Board. We have requested the Board to refrain from passing the film until Susairaj gets to watch it and gives her permission.
We will see to it that he doesn't release it without her consent. We want to make sure that there are no objectionable portions in the film and we are sure the court will ask him to show it to her."
Informed that Varma had no intention of showing Susairaj the film, Sharif said that in that case, he was sure the court would not allow him to release the film.
Not A Love Story has been scheduled to be released on August 19.
