The Punjab Government on Saturday banned the screening of the Madhuri Dixit-starrer 'Aaja Nachle' as a preventive measure towards maintaining peace and law and order in the state.
CHANDIGARH: There was more trouble for popular actress Madhuri Dixit's comeback movie "Aaja Nachle" with Punjab, which has a sizable dalit population, on Saturday banning it, a day after it was taken off theatres in Uttar Pradesh
over its title song which allegedly humiliated the community.
The decision to ban the film has been taken in the wake of reports that a section of a society was feeling outraged over certain lines in a song in the film, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's media adviser Harcharan Bains said here.
"The direction comes into force with immediate effect and is taken after consideration of safety of life and property of the people of the state," he added.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has also decided to issue summons to the film's producer, director and all those associated with the controversial lyrics and ask them to submit affidavits explaining their position.
"We will summon all the people who have performed, written and cleared the lyrics as well as the producer and director," Commission Chairperson Buta Singh said.
"The damage has already been done. The lyrics go against the laws passed by Parliament and the Constitution itself," he said.
Support for film came from Censor Board Chief Sharmila Tagore who said she was ready to apologise if the sentiments of any community were hurt but stressed there was no reason for the film to be banned.
"The music of the film has been in the market for a long time now, but nobody had registered any complaints. The line has been taken out of context. My committee which had reviewed the film had seen it as a profession-based remark and not a caste-based slight or insult," Tagore said.
Tagore said the lyrics to which objections have been raised were meant in a light-hearted manner.
"Nevertheless, if somebody has been offended and if any particular community has been hurt then we are prepared to apologise," she said.
Tagore admitted that the line in question, which has been criticised as being insulting to Dalits, was "slightly overlooked" and some "miscalculation" was made.
She welcomed the decision by the filmmakers to voluntarily withdraw the line. Director of the film Anil Mehta had announced on Friday that the "objectionable" line from the song would be deleted.
The Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh had stopped the screening of the movie on Friday starring Madhuri, 42, who is making a comeback after 5 years, in the state and had also written to the prime minister demanding a countrywide ban on the film alleging that its title song had "humiliated" Dalits.
"The reference to the caste is not only objectionable and humiliating but also unconstitutional and therefore the screening of the film has been banned in Uttar Pradesh," Principal Secretary Shailesh Krishna had said.
However, Krishna said on Saturday that the ban would be lifted if the controversial lines are deleted from the film.
"The state government can ban a film if it creates a law and order problem. But I don't see any reason for any government to ban the film because the questionable line has been removed and I saw the movie myself in a theatre in Mumbai and there was no problem and there were no spontaneous protests anywhere in the country," Tagore said.
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