A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the release of film, Why I killed Gandhi.
The petition filed by Sikarndar Behl through Advocate Anuj Bhandari seeks a stay on the steaming of the movie which is set to release on the OTT platform Limelight on January 30, Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary.
According to the petition, the movie Why I killed Gandhi has been produced by Kalyaani Singh under the banner of Rights Media International.
The said movie is based on the murder of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse and the court trial which ensued thereof. The movie attempts to tarnish the image of Mahatma Gandhi and at the same time glorify Nathuram Godse, the petition states.
On January 22, Limelight released the trailer of the movie for public viewing.
The petitioner alleged that the trailer is of 2 minutes 20 seconds duration in which attempt has been made to blame Mahatama Gandhi for the Partition and atrocities against Hindus in Pakistan and thereby justifying killing of Mahatma.
At 1:22 minutes in the trailer, the actor playing Nathuram Godse makes the following statement:
“Aur jis prakar ek hara hua jurai dao par dao lagata jata hai, ussi prakar Gandhi Ji bhi dao par dao lagate chale gae.”
Which translates into English as under:
“And like a gambler who has lost, keeps betting on and on, Gandhi Ji also kept betting on and on.”
Again at 1:55 minutes, the following statement is made:
“Yeh kehna anuchit nahi ki Pakistan mai Hindu jati aur Hindu sanskriti ko mitane ke liye jo atyachar ho rahe hain unka mool karan Gandhi hi hai”.
Which translates into English as under:
“It wont be improper to say that the main reason for atrocities being committed in Pakistan for destruction of against Hindu caste and Hindu sanskriti is Gandhi only.”
Apart from this, it has been said in the petition that OTT platforms are outside the purview of the censor board, due to which unregulated and uncensored content is being published on them. Therefore regulation of OTT platform should be done.
“In the event of the release and exhibition of the said movie is not stopped, the same would irreparably tarnish the image of Father of Nation and would cause public unrest, hatred and disharmony. It is therefore imperative that release, publication or exhibition of the movie Why I Killed Gandhi and all its associated content be stopped with immediate effect,” the petition reads.
The petitioner is further aggrieved by the fact that the movies are being released and exhibited for public viewing on OTT platforms without any restriction, regulation or censure. The petitioner therefore also seeks effective regulation of the OTT platforms.