After district administrations in Uttarakhand banned the screening of romance-drama film Kedarnath, a state minister said the government would henceforth consider reviewing a movie's script before granting permission for shooting.

Kedarnath is the debut movie of Saif Ali Khan's daughter Sara. It was shot in Kedarnath and shows the love story of a spunky Brahmin girl and an affable Muslim porter. 

Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said that while the state government is committed to promoting Uttarakhand as a shooting destination for movie industries, it also wants to honour the sentiments of people who have faith in Lord Kedarnath. He said the shrine holds great importance for crores of Hindus and added that it's unfortunate that some scenes in the movie were found to be objectionable. He said that going forward, the state government would consider vetting a movie's script before allowing shooting in Uttarakhand if its pertains to sensitive issues.

The screening of Kedarnath has been banned in Uttarakhand as a precautionary measure to avoid disruption of peace. The movie, set in the backdrop of the June 2013 natural tragedy that killed thousands of pilgrims in the temple town of Kedarnath, was released countrywide on December 7. However, the state where its story is set won't screen it in the wake of strong dissent.

Trouble started with the launch of the movie's trailer on November 12. Be it priests of the Kedarnath temple or pro-Hindu organisations or BJP leaders, the trailer was met with vehement disapproval across Uttarakhand and sparked protests.

Consequently, the state government set up a four-member committee comprising tourism minister Maharaj, home secretary, information secretary and DGP to examine the objections against Kedarnath. The committee members watched the movie and had a meeting with Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday evening, a day before its release. In the meeting, it was decided that the state government wouldn't ban the movie and would leave the decision to district administrations. District magistrates were informed about this by late evening and they promptly passed orders banning the film, citing threat of disruption of peace. 

Of the hilly state's 13 districts, only seven have movie theatres and Kedarnath has been banned in all of them. These districts are Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Udhamsingh Nagar and Almora. 

The movie's detractors have cited the following objections with its content:
1. 'Love Jihad' - In the movie, the female protagonist, a Brahmin, falls for a Muslim youth. Many BJP leaders pointed out that 'Kedarnath' is surreptitiously promoting 'Love Jihad'.
2. Movie's tagline - Protesters say the movie's tagline 'Love is a pilgrimage' hurts the Hindus' religious sentiments.
3. 'Bold' scenes - It is contended that the kissing scene in the movie, the lead couple's romance and "vulgar" dance sequences set in the holy town are unacceptable.
4. Factual inaccuracy - The male lead's character is that of a Muslim youth who carries pilgrims on his back to the temple town. Protesters point out that no Muslim can be found doing this in Kedarnath.

Courts shut petitioners up
Various people and organisations had approached Nainital High Court, Bombay High Court and Gujarat High Court,  seeking a ban on the movie. All the courts rejected the request.

Nainital High Court told the petitioner's advocate they should not watch the movie and that they are actually publicising the very work they want banned by making an issue out of it. This petition was filed by Dehradun-based activist and convener of Uttarakhand Raksha Abhiyan Swami Darshan Bharti. Gujarat High Court called the petition a publicity stunt and imposed a fine of Rs5,000 on the petitioner Prakash Rajput, president of International Hindu Sena. 

The petition in Bombay High Court was filed by two local lawyers. Legal representatives of the movie's producers as well as the Censor Board opposed the petition, which contended that Kedarnath's story is imaginary and an untrustworthy tale of love between a Muslim youth and a Brahmin girl.

State Congress spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni said that while the Congress is in favour of promoting shooting in Uttarakhand, it is important to ensure that the said movie does not hurt religious sentiments. She said instead of banning the entire movie, it's advisable to remove the objectionable scenes from it. Also, she contended that the movie's name should be changed from Kedarnath to something else as it's not a religious film but a romantic one.

GS Rana, manager of Prabhat cinema, one of the oldest theatres in Uttarakhand's temporary capital Dehradun, said members of a pro-Hindu group had paid a visit on Thursday before the movie was banned and demanded that Kedarnath's posters be removed. He said the theatre received the district administration's notice regarding the ban in the evening and hence the movie was not screened. He pointed out that theirs is a single-screen theatre and the last-minute ban meant the establishment did not earn a single penny on Friday.

Darshan Bharti, whose petition seeking ban on the film was rejected by Nainital High Court, said the movie's makers have tried to play with the sentiments of the Hindus by showing a love story of a Muslim porter and a Brahmin girl. He asserted it was nothing but 'Love Jihad' and a country-wide conspiracy.

-Ends-

[Caption for attached photos: Members of a pro-Hindu organisation staging a protest outside Prabhat cinema in Dehradun on Thursday before district administrations banned the movie. Credit: 101Reporters]