New Delhi [India], July 9 : Amid a controversy over the Udaipur Files movie, based on the 2022 murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur, Lal's son on Wednesday emphasised that the movie is made to oppose the "terrorist mindset", and does not target any particular religion or community.
The movie has faced sharp criticism for allegedly stoking communal tensions.
Speaking to ANI, Kanhaiya Lal's son, Yash Sahu, said, "The movie is releasing on 11th July. There were controversies earlier too, it had to be renamed...Producer and Director did everything possible and showed what happened to my father; how he was killed under a terrorist mindset, under a sleeper cell base...They are terrorists."
Sahu further claimed that he demanded a fast-track investigation into the case, and also an NIA special court's enquiry, but nobody listened to him.
"This movie is against a terrorist mindset, not against a community or religion...It has been 3 years now, and the case has gone cold. I demanded fast track, but it wasn't done. I demanded an NIA Special Court, but it wasn't done. Statements of only 14-15 people have been recorded in 3 years. So, when will the statements of 150 people be taken?... How long will it take for us to get justice?" he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed a special screening of the film before ruling on petitions seeking to halt its release, scheduled for July 11.
The directive came during Tuesday's hearing, where Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), informed the court that 40-50 objectionable elements had already been removed from both the trailer and the film. The CBFC had proposed these cuts before certification, and they were duly implemented.
A bench comprising Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal ordered the screening of the censored version for all counsels, including Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for petitioners Maulana Arshad Madani (President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind) and Prashant Tondon.