PRAKASH Jha's upcoming political drama Raajneeti has run into a controversy.
New Delhi-On Monday, a person named Nasim Khan — he claims to be a Congress worker and an actor — filed a petition in the Mumbai civil court, demanding a ban on the film, alleging that it defames the Gandhi- Nehru family. The film is scheduled to release on June 4.
Khan says Katrina Kaif's character in the movie, Indu Pratap, bears an uncanny resemblance to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The petition says Katrina has “ the body language, which can't be tolerated as she has been involved in objectionable roles in past.” This makes her portrayal “ an attempt to defame” the Congress chief, he alleges.
The court has adjourned hearing on the issue till June 10. Jha is unhappy about the controversy.
“ People are anticipating ( that Raajneeti is about the Gandhi- Nehru family). It's an unnecessary nuisance. My film is not inspired by any particular political figure or party. I have been saying this since I started shooting the film and my stand remains unchanged. I fail to understand the hoopla that some people have created even without seeing my film,” says Jha, insisting that the film will release on time.
Though Jha refutes any similarity to real- life politicians, reports are also rife that Ranbir Kapoor's character bears an uncanny resemblance to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Reportedly, Ranbir's character goes to study abroad and falls in love with a foreigner ( newcomer Sarah Thompson). But he is advised against marrying her as it will have an adverse impact on his family's political career.
And like Rajiv Gandhi, Ranbir's character also gets killed in the film, which prompts his wife, played by Katrina, to enter politics — just as Sonia did.
But Jha evaded this issue. “ How can I reveal everything about the story now? Let people see the film instead of doing such guesswork. All I will say is Ranbir doesn't even play a politician in Raajneeti ,” he says.
Katrina has been saying she did a lot of research on Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to prepare for her role. A few days ago, she had said she watched Priyanka's video clippings to get the body language of a young female politician right.
“ Katrina didn't say anything wrong. She had also mentioned Sheila Dikshit and Ambika Soni, but the media wasn't interested in them,” says Jha. The lawyer for the Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC) has told the court that the board is yet to receive the film for certification.
Hence, the decision on whether it has any objectionable scenes can't be taken now. The court has asked both Jha and the CBFC to file their replies. Jha has said he is willing to organise a special screening for Sonia. “ If Mrs Gandhi wants to watch the film, I would happily show it to her,” he said. Mail Today.
