Mumbai:

The Bombay High Court today allowed the release of actor Annu Kapoor-starrer “Hamare Baarah” movie after its makers agreed to delete certain objectionable portions.

The film, which was originally slated for release on June 7 and then on June 14, is likely to hit the screens on June 21.

The film got embroiled in a legal battle after a bunch of petitions were filed in the high court claiming that it distorted the Quran and was derogatory towards the Islamic faith and the Muslim community.

The pleas sought a ban on the release of the movie.

A division bench of Justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla viewed the film and suggested certain changes to it which both the makers and the petitioners agreed to.

Pursuant to this, the court said the makers shall make the necessary changes and then release the movie.

The makers later said that necessary changes would be made and a certificate would be obtained from the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC), commonly known as the Censor Board. The makers are now planning to release the movie on June 21.

The high court also imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the makers of the movie for releasing the trailer before receiving certification from the CBFC.

Earlier this month, the high court postponed the release of the movie.

It later permitted the release after the makers said the objectionable portions would be deleted as directed by the CBFC.

The petitioners then moved the Supreme Court, which last week stayed the release of the movie and directed the high court to hear and take an appropriate decision.

On Tuesday, the high court said it had seen the movie and found nothing objectionable in it that was against the Quran or the Muslim community, and observed that the film is in fact aimed at upliftment of women.

It also said that the Indian public was “not gullible or silly”.

On Wednesday, the parties concerned submitted consent terms to the court stating that they have arrived at a consensus regarding removal of certain objectionable portions and dialogues in the movie.

The changes would include displaying of the disclaimer for 12 seconds to enable viewers to read the text and also inclusion of an extra verse from the Quran as sought by the petitioners.

The petitioners said they do not have any objection against the release of the movie once the changes are made.
 

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Mumbai:

The Bombay High Court today permitted the release of the film ‘Hamare Baarah’ on June 21 after the filmmakers agreed to make three changes. The court, after a thorough review, concluded that the film did not contain any objectionable content against the Quran or the Muslim community. Instead, the court found the movie to be aimed at the “upliftment of women”.

The court said that three dialogues have been muted and all other contentious parts have been removed. The bench also advised further edits to ensure that no scenes would be deemed offensive. For instance, a scene where a character threatens to kill his daughter while invoking God’s name was pointed out as potentially problematic. The court suggested that removing this line would not compromise the filmmakers’ creative freedom.

A division bench comprising Justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla said that the film, starring actor Annu Kapoor, was a “thinking movie” designed to engage the audience intellectually rather than being a mindless entertainer.

“The movie is in fact for the upliftment of women. The movie has a Maulana misinterpreting the Quran and in fact one Muslim man objects to the same in the scene. So this shows that people should apply their mind and not blindly follow such Maulanas,” the high court said.

The court addressed the concerns raised by the petitioners, who claimed the film was derogatory towards Muslims and distorted Islamic teachings. These objections led to the postponement of the film’s release. However, after reviewing the film post the deletion of objectionable content as directed by the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC), the court found no grounds to continue the ban.

The high court noted the premature release of the film’s trailer before CBFC certification, which had contributed to the controversy. As a consequence, the court imposed a penalty on the filmmakers to be donated to a charity of the petitioners’ choice, citing the “unpaid publicity” the litigation had generated for the film.

“Violation was there vis-a-vis the trailer. So you will have to pay something towards a charity of the petitioner’s choice. Cost will have to be paid. This litigation has got the film so much unpaid publicity,” the court said. “We don’t think there is anything in the movie that would incite any violence. If we felt so we would be the first ones to object to it. Indian public is not so gullible or that silly.”

The official judgment will be available on the Bombay High Court’s website.