Despite the President's referral, Vishal Bhardwaj's next film will not be shown to the National Commission of Women

The makers of the upcoming Emraan Hashmi-Huma Qureshi- starrer are adamant that they will not screen their film to the National Commission of Women even though President Pranab Mukherjee's office referred the matter to them.

Debutant director Kannan Iyer's supernatural thriller, which takes on the subject of witches, is under fire from Kolkata-based Wiccan priestess Ipsita Roy Chakraverti who has alleged that the film will aggravate violence against women.

Says a source, `Producer Vishal Bhardwaj and the rest of the team feel that as the Censor Board has cleared the film there is no need to showcase it to anyone else for approval. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a censorship body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, so why seek approval from another organisation?`

Confirms the producer, `The CBFC has already viewed and certified the film. At their behest, a disclaimer has been added before the film. Interestingly, six out of the seven members who viewed the film were women!`

It is alleged that Chakraverti used her personal contacts with the President to highlight her grouse who in turn referred it to the National Commission of Women. Wonder which way this witchhunt will go?