The movie is based on the brutal daylight murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Rajasthan, in June 2022, an incident that had shocked the nation
Digital Desk: Udaipur Files, a film starring Vijay Raaz and directed by Bharat S. Shrinate, is scheduled to release on July 11, but its future now hangs in the balance amid mounting controversy. On 4th July, only a few days after the release of the trailer, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a leading Islamic clerics association, petitioned in the courts of Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat High Courts to bar the release of the film.
The movie is based on the brutal daylight murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Rajasthan, in June 2022, an incident that had shocked the nation. The legal action by Jamiat is as a result of the fact that sensitive issues on communal tensions and extremism are depicted in the film as revealed in the trailer.
To defend his appropriate ban on the film, Maulana Arshad Madani, the president of the Jamiat, maintained that the film has the potential to cause inter-communal unrest and spread hatred towards a certain religious group. In an official post, he alleged that the trailer contains objectionable references to the Prophet of Islam and his wives, portrays Deoband as a center of extremism, and makes inflammatory remarks against Islamic scholars. He further indicated the film mentions subjudice issues such as Gyanvapi Mosque controversy, which he feels goes against Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Constitution.
On the contrary, the family of Kanhaiya Lal has come forward to support the movie, which they do not want to be banned. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) also came forward in stern defence of Udaipur Files and criticized the stance of Jamiat, calling it hypocritical.
The controversy is deepening now, and everyone is waiting to see what the judicial system does as the film is set to be released in the theatre or will hit a snag in the legal system.
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