The character of great freedom fighter Mangal Pandey was not ''assassinated'' in the film 'Mangal Pandey, the Rising', the producer and director of the film told the Delhi High Court today.

Appearing before Justice A K Sikri, Senior Counsel B P Singh said the character of Heera, the prostitute, should be seen in a multidimensional perspective.

Mere applying 'sindoor' on the head of Heera, did not mean that Mangal was married to her under the Hindu Marriage Act.

Moreover, the descendents of Mangal did not have the right to file a defamation suit, said Mr Singh appearing for the defendants.

Counsel Hira, appearing for the petitioners, had said the director had no right to ''assassinate'' the character of the hero, who had been regarded with high esteem by the people in the country.

The character of Heera, the prostitute, was not an insignificant role but that of the main leading lady, he said.

During British rule, the Britishers had written the history to suit themselves and had not even assassinated the character of Mangal, said the counsel.

The personal life of Mangal Pandey was ''pure and sacred'' and nobody had the right to show it in a distorted manner, he said.

There are six authentic books on Mangal and in no book it was mentioned that he had any relationship with a prostitute.

The film makers did not have right to ''falsify'' the scenes from the history.

Petitioners Raghunath Pandey and Omkar Nath Pandey (both relatives of Mangal Pandey) had submitted that nobody had the right to distort the history of India and cast aspersions 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 a relationship with a prostitute.

The notices were served to producers Bobby Bedi, Deepa Sahi, Director Ketan Mehta, story writer Farrukh Dhondy and 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 the 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.