The much-anticipated release of Annu Kapoor’s ‘Hamare Baarah’ is facing a major setback as the Bombay High Court imposed a stay on its release just two days before its release till June 14. The film was slated for release on June 7.
This decision has left the makers of the film in a state of deep devastation, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the much-awaited premiere.
‘Hamare Baarah’ has been a topic of widespread discussion due to its bold narrative on overpopulation, a theme rarely explored in Indian cinema.
Starring Annu Kapoor, Manoj Joshi, and Paritosh Tripathi, the movie’s bold narrative and thought-provoking themes have captured the public’s imagination.
In light of the impending release, the film’s director and producers met with Maharashtra CM Shri Eknath Shinde, expressing gratitude for the safety and police protection provided during the release week.
However, the joy of anticipation has been overshadowed by the recent legal development.
The producers, Birender Bhagat and Ravi S Gupta have voiced serious concerns about the imposition of the stay despite the film having received a censor certificate.
Bhagat lamented, “Our film has received a certificate from the censor board. It is set to release on this Friday. We have invested crores of our hard-earned money in making the film, risked our entire life’s savings, and made this film with great difficulty. We are shocked and disappointed since a stay has been imposed on our film without even watching it.”
This legal obstacle comes in the wake of a petition filed by specific religious community activists at the Mumbai High Court against the release of the film.
Earlier, Islamists had issued ISIS-style death threats to actors and crew members of the movie, unhappy over the movie’s portrayal of Islam. The followers of radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan which was founded by the late Khadim Hussain Rizvi and Indian extremist Mufti Salman Azhari used social media, particularly Instagram, to threaten the filmmakers with death.
Videos depicting brutal beheadings akin to those carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) accompanied by Islamic hymns and verses were shared to warn the artists. Most of social media users who issued the threats are located in Mumbra of Maharashtra’s Thane district and have ties with the Social Democratic Party of India, which is the political wing of the outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI).
Muslims are being provoked to take action against Annu Kapoor and other people associated with the movie and ‘show them their place’. Additionally, they have posted videos including Islamic slogans and gun sounds. The movie producer’s phone number was also made public and the fundamentalists have been threatening to kill him over WhatsApp.
The radicals even posted footage of actual beheadings with ISIS flags and “Allah hu Akbar” to instil fear in the hearts of the cast and crew and warned that the director would meet the same fate if the movie was released.
Jointly produced by Birender Bhagat, Ravi S Gupta, Sanjay Nagpal and Sheo Balak Singh and Directed by Kamal Chandra, ‘Hamare Baarah’ boasts a screenplay penned by Rajan Agarwal.
(With inputs from ANI)
