After protests, ‘Kedarnath’ banned in U’khand

Dehradun: A day after the Uttarakhand high court disposed of a petition that sought a ban on Bollywood movie ‘Kedarnath’, saying those who didn’t like it needn’t watch it, the film was banned in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, citing a law and order situation. The movie starring Sushant Rajput and Sara Ali Khan depicts a Hindu-Muslim love affair in the backdrop of deadly flash floods in 2013.BJP workers and leaders had been protesting the movie maintaining it “encouraged love jihad” and “hurt Hindu sentiments”.
The Uttarakhand government had formed a four-member committee headed by tourism minister Satpal Maharaj to review the movie. After the committee submitted a report late on Thursday night, the government said that the district magistrates should take a call depending on the law and order situation in their jurisdiction area on whether to allow screening the movie. While Nainital district was the first to announce the ban, it was followed by other districts. With the latest orders by the DMs, it would mean that the film will not release in Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Almora and Udham Singh Nagar. The remaining six districts of the state do not have a film theatre.
Talking to TOI on Friday, Satpal Maharaj said, “Our committee reviewed the complaints and watched the film. It is completely against our beliefs and tradition and has made fun of our emotions. It has all the ingredients to disturb the law and order situation in the state. People living in hills are highly sensitive towards their tradition and culture and have deep-rooted faith in religion.”
Maharaj said, “Personally I am against using the name of Kedarnath ji for a movie which is showing love affair of people from different communities. The movie could have been named ‘Qayamat’ or ‘Qahar’. People come for Moksha to Kedarnath and using the name for a wrong purpose cannot be justified.” He claimed that the state government will make stringent law to ensure such an act is not repeated in future. "We will come up with a bond to be filled by filmmakers to make a commitment that they will not make a movie which is against sentiments of people. We may even ask for their script,” said the minister.
The issue had first gained prominence after Ajendra Ajay, part of Uttarakhand BJP’s media relations department, objected to the movie and wrote on Facebook on November 1. The campaign started by Ajay had been picked up by BJP leaders in Rudraprayag (the district where the Kedarnath shrine is situated) and Haridwar with a high number of protests being witnessed in both districts against the film.
Ajay told TOI, “The scenes of the movie are objectionable and things have been presented in a wrong way. By raising the issue, I brought to the fore the feeling of Uttarakhandis,” he said.
On Thursday, the Uttarakhand high court while hearing a PIL seeking a ban on ‘Kedarnath’ had remarked, “Don’t see the movie if you don’t like it. We are not the censor board. We are a democracy and everyone is free to exercise their rights. State shall ensure law and order is maintained,” the bench said. The bench had also remarked that a similar controversy surrounding the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavat’ had made the film a super hit.