After Madhuri Dixit starrer 'Gulaab gang' was put off from theaters due to activist Sampat Pal's allegations that the film-makers did not take permission for the film, we take a look at other films that were stayed off by courts.
The producers of actresses Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla's film Gulaab Gang have moved the Delhi High Court asking that the stay order on the movie be lifted. On Wednesday, March 5, the Delhi High Court ruled that the movie not be released anywhere in India in its censored or uncensored form till May 8. Gulaab Gang was meant to release on Friday, March 7.
Activist Sampat Pal, the leader of the real-life Gulabi Gang - a group of pink sari clad women vigilantes from Uttar Pradesh - on which the film is based, moved the Delhi High Court to block the release of the film.
Sampat Pal moved the high court seeking a restraining order on the release of Gulaab Gang, saying the filmmakers did not ask her permission before making the movie. She also sought financial compensation, saying there are certain scenes in movie which will affect her reputation in the long run.
The court agreed that the film promos, shown in January 2014, depicted Ms Pal "in the negative light and gave her a fresh cause of action".
"Reputation once lost is lost forever and can not come back and even can't be compensated with monetary terms," the court said.
Gulaab Gang is directed by debutant Soumik Sen and produced by Anubhav Sinha.
Here's a list of other films that have met a similar fate:
1. Ram Leela: The Additional District Judge AS Jayachandra, in an ex-parte interim order, restrained the film's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Eros promoters from releasing the movie until further orders. The court's order came on a suit filed by six petitioners, including Prabhu Samaj Dharmik Ram Leela Committee, saying the films hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus as it contains sex, violence and vulgarity.
2. Grand Masti: The Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the release of Bollywood movie Grand Masti in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on a plea alleging it has vulgar dialogues. But, the film managed to enter the '100 crore' club.
3. Water: The movie faced opposition during its shooting from hardline Hindu organizations in Varanasi. The sets were destroyed. The Uttar Pradesh government decided to stop the shooting on 31 January 2000. The shooting was shifted to Sri Lanka later. The film was released in India much later in March 2007.
4. Vishwaroopam: The film was banned in the state of Tamil Nadu on the insistence of some Muslim organisations which felt that it depicted the community in poor light. But Kamal Haasan got a late night relief from the Madras High Court after the court decided to put in abeyance the prohibitory orders issued by the Tamil Nadu government to delay the movie's release. However, the order has now been challenged by the state government.
5. Black Friday: The film was based on the 1993 Bombay bombings. The released was blocked until the verdict of the lawsuit by the Bombay High Court on the petition of the under-trials. The film was originally set to be released in India on 28 January 2005. The producers appealed at the Supreme Court but the High Court order was upheld. The movie finally saw its release on 9 February 2007.
Watch the trailer of Gulaab Gang here:
Watch the trailer of Gulaabi Gang here:
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