The plea seeking an injunction against the release of Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi was denied by the Supreme Court on Thursday.
An injunction was sought against the film’s producers, actress Alia Bhatt, and authors S Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges, who created the novel on which the film is based, in a suit filed by a person claiming to be Gangubai’s adoptive son. This decision comes just one day before the film’s scheduled theatrical premiere on February 25, which is tomorrow.
According to a report from Bar and Bench, a bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari was considering an appeal against the Bombay High Court’s refusal to stay the film’s release.
Senior Advocate Aryama Sundaram, appearing for directors Sanjay Leela Bhansali, stated that the Court was dealing with a case in which the film had not yet been seen.
“Censor certificate has been given. So for a person to say that legal right should not be exercised, the person has to show a strong reason,” he said.
Sundaram also called upon the petitioner to prove that he was indeed Gangubai’s adopted son.
On the argument that the film casts the Kamatipura area in a bad light, Sundaram said, “We don’t consider it shameworthy if a woman rises above from this background and does something for the society, it is not to be ashamed of.”
He further denied defamation allegations, claiming that Gangubai’s putative adoptive son was uninformed of the book “Mafia Queens,” which was released 11 years ago, and that “now that the film is coming out, he becomes aware of it.”
Arguing on the charges on naming a victim of sexual assault, he said, “This is not an ongoing trial and she is not a victim. She is someone who has died 42 years ago. she is not a victim. every house has a picture of her.”
