The producers of Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherjee starrer 'Mangal Pandey-The Rising' told the Delhi High Court that the film would not be shown on any television during the
month of November.
Acting on an injunction application filed by the descendents of great freedom fighter Mangal Pandey, the court directed the producers and directors not to sell the right to
show the film on television in the coming month.
Petitioners Raghunath Pandey and Omkar Nath Pandey alleged that the producers were planning to sell the TV rights to various channels before the case was decided by
the court.
The Court had earlier adjourned the matter till November 8, 2005 as the other respondents had not filed their replies.
Counsel Hari appearing for the petitioners had argued that nobody had the right to distort the history of India and cast aspersion on the personal life of the hero of the First
War of Independence.
The High Court had issued notices to Bollywood stars Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee and producers and director of 'Mangal Pandey -- The Rising,' for allegedly depicting the
freedom fighter having relationship with a prostitute.
The notices were served to producers Bobby Bedi, Deepa Sahi, Director Ketan Mehta, story writer Farrukh Dhondy, distributor Yash Chopra, to file their replies.
Claiming notional damages of Re one from the respondents, petitioners sought directions from the court to ban the screening of the film for allegedly depicting the hero of
1857 rising in a derogatory and disrespectful manner.
Aamir has acted as Mangal Pandey, Rani as 'tawaif' in the film directed by Ketan Mehta and produced by his wife Deepa Sahi and Bobby Bedi.
Chopra's Yash Raj Films was the distributer of the film in India and abroad.
''Unfortunately, the action of the respondents is guided by ulterior motive of making financial gains for commercial success of the movie, totally unmindful of their duty not to
offend the personal life and character of the great martyr, his successive generations and the place he belonged to and the entire nation,'' said the petition.
Mangal Pandey was characterised in the film to have married a sex worker and was a drunkard, as also a regular visitor to the kothas, said Raghunath Pandey, the great
grandson of Mangal's brother.
Raghunath, a vice principal in a Kendriya Vidyalaya at Janak Puri in South-West Delhi and his son Omkar Nath, said in the petition that the producers and director of the film
have ''humiliated, insulted'' the great martyr by depicting the personal life of Mangal derogatorily.
Saturday, October 29, 2005 16:33 IST