The judgment came just a day after the same court had stayed the release of the Madhuri Dixit-Juhi Chawla starrer, based on a plea filed by activist Sampat Pal Devi, who claimed that the film was based on Gulabi Gang--the group of women vigilantes lead by her--and portrayed her in a negative light. The producers of the film had then filed an appeal against the single judge's order after which the court green-lighted the film's release.
But the court drama is far from over; next date of hearing, in the case brought by Pal, is set for March 10. Talking from Delhi airport after the hearing, the film's producer Anubhav Sinha said: "After the stay on Wednesday I did not sleep a wink. I'm glad our film is finally releasing on the intended day and I am thankful to industry members like Shah Rukh Khan, Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, for their unconditional support."
Although he remains tight lipped about how the stay was lifted, sources tell that Pal's lawyers couldn't explain why they had dragged the film to court just two days before its release. "And they don't own any copyrights over women wearing pink sarees," added the source.
When we contacted Pal's lawyer, Kush Sharma, who in an interview (on March 6), had stated that they will not let the film release before May 8, said: "It's a judicial process and nobody can stop anyone from availing their rights. We'll wait till the next hearing, which is scheduled for March 10."
When we raised the subject of the next hearing with Mushtaq Sheikh, the film's co-producer, he said: "I do not want to think that far ahead. I am just relieved that we could release our film on the scheduled date."
