The Bombay High Court has allowed the release of the film Hamare Baarah after the makers agreed to make some changes.
The Bombay High Court had viewed the film and noted on Tuesday that it had nothing objectionable against the Muslim community. It had suggested changes to certain scenes.
The petitioners consented not to oppose the release after the requisite changes are made.
A petition was filed in the Bombay High Court to stop the release of the Annu-Kapoor starrer film Hamare Baarah. The petition alleged that the trailer of the film insults Islamic beliefs.
The Supreme Court had put a stay on the release of the film and asked the Bombay High Court to decide the petition.
The Bombay High Court bench said on Tuesday that they had watched the film and objectionable words and scenes have been removed.
Fazrul Rehman Sheikh, the advocate of the petitioners, had told the media that the court was of the opinion that the movie gives a good social message.
"A stay had been imposed on the film Hamare Baarah because of the controversial dialogues in the film. The judges of the HC watched the film after which, they were of the opinion that the film gives a good social message and it is not what it has been projected as..."
He said the High Court noted that the trailer was very offensive.
"Some dialogues have been asked to be censored... The order will be passed tomorrow after putting all observations in a consensus... The HC said that the trailer was very offensive and it should not have been released the way it was... The trailer and the message of the movie are drastically different.," Fazrul Rehman Sheikh added.
The court also told the petitioner's lawyer that "it was wrong to comment without watching the movie. You are commenting by looking at the poster."
The court also said, “Filmmakers should also be careful what they put out. They cannot hurt the sentiments of any religion."
Regarding the trailer, the court criticized its offensive nature and emphasized the disparity between the trailer's depiction and the film's content. Virender Bhagat, the film's producer, confirmed the removal of the contentious trailer.
"The misunderstanding has been resolved. The judges watched the film and said that it is about women empowerment. The offensive trailer has been removed," Bhagat remarked in an interview with ANI.
Hamare Baarah, jointly produced by Birender Bhagat, Ravi S Gupta, Sanjay Nagpal, and Sheo Balak Singh, is directed by Kamal Chandra.
The film features Annu Kapoor, Manoj Joshi, and Paritosh Tripathi in pivotal roles.
