Days after the trailer of Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor's upcoming film, Param Sundari, was released online, members of the Christian community raised objection against a scene featuring the actors flirting inside a church, and demanded its removal.
The Watchdog Foundation wrote to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Mumbai Police, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, and the Maharashtra government to direct the filmmakers to remove the scene from the film and promotional videos.
Advocate Godfrey Pimenta of the Watchdog Foundation, said that the tendency to generate a controversy with malicious intent to draw more audience needs to be curbed. "In India, the deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings may attract legal scrutiny under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Precedents such as Azhar Basha Tamboli vs Ravi S Gupta & Ors and Hum Do Humare Baraah underscore the sensitive balance between freedom of expression and the protection of religious sentiments," said Pimenta.
"Additionally, the CBFC, established under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, is entrusted with certifying films while taking into account both artistic expression and respect for religious feelings," he added.
The letter said that the church is a sacred place of worship and it should not be depicted as a stage for indecent content. "This portrayal not only disrespects the spiritual sanctity of the religious place of worship but also deeply offends the sensibilities of the Catholic community," the letter said further.
Questioning the CBFC's clearance of the scene, the group warned of public protests if the makers fail to remove the scene from the film.
The letter also demanded the immediate filing of an FIR against the producer, director and actors of Param Sundari under BNS for deliberately hurting the sentiments of Catholic community.
Param Sundari has been directed by Tushar Jalota and produced by Dinesh Vijan. The film will release in theatres on August 29.
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