SC lifts ban on screening of 'Jodhaa Akbar' : Happenings News : ApunKaChoice.Com


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SC lifts ban on screening of 'Jodhaa Akbar'
05th Mar 2008 09.00 IST
By Agencies

The Supreme Court Tuesday lifted the ban imposed on the screening of Jodhaa Akbar in different parts of the country till March 14 of this month.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan passed an interim order while hearing a petition filed by the producer of the Ashutosh Gowarikar directed film.

The producer of the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan starrer, UTV Software Communication, contended that the film has been banned in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and various cities of Haryana and Uttarakhand allegedly for political reasons.

The bench scrapped the Uttar Pradesh government ban as well as similar orders by authorities in Dehradun in Uttarkhand and in Ambala, Sonepat and Rewari in Haryana.

'Jodhaa Akbar' based on a story of Mughal emperor Akbar's marriage to Rajput princess Jodha Bai, has been facing protests in several states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand.

Some Rajput organisations insist that Jodha was not Akbar's wife but his daughter-in-law while some claim that the portrayal of Rajputs in the movie has flaws.

Uttar Pradesh banned the movie on March 1. The film was banned in Dehradun, Ambala, Sonepat and Rewari through oral orders of the local authorities.

Appearing for the producer, senior counsel Indu Malhotra urged the court to lift the ban saying the producer had spent Rs.410 million on production.

She told the court that the first few weeks after a movie's release were very crucial for a film from the point of recovering production costs. After that, she said people lose interest.

Later unscrupulous elements sell films on DVDs and CDs, jeopardising the prospect of the film's long run in cinema halls.

Challenging the ban in the three states, Malhotra contended that once the Censor Board of India clears a movie, state governments should not interfere.

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