As protests over Aamir Khan-starrer PK increase in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, demands are now being made for removal of controversial scenes from the film to ensure communal harmony.
While some Hindu right wing groups such as the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protested against the movie, which is already a huge hit, at a couple of places in the State, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has urged the Censor Board to remove controversial scenes.
“It has come to notice that some scenes of film PK hurt religious sentiments. If it is so, it is not good. Freedom of expression does not mean hurting someone’s sentiments. If there are such scenes, the Censor Board should remove them so that communal harmony is not disturbed,” Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali said.
“The way atmosphere of the country and U.P. is vitiated, small matters are blown out of proportion... Issues like ‘love jihad’ and conversion are being raised. It is the need of the hour to take precautions while making films... If a movie had material that hurt religious sentiments, especially when it is acted by a Muslim (Aamir Khan) who plays a Hindu character, it could be taken otherwise,” the influential religious leader was quoted as saying.
On the other hand, Bajrang Dal activists staged a protest in front of a cinema in Agra. They tore up the poster and disrupted the screening of the movie. Similarly, VHP activists demonstrated against the film in Allahabad. While a right-wing group, Hindu Janjagriti Samiti, has sought immediate ban on the movie for its “highly provocative content”, another Lucknow-based group — Hindu Front For Justice — has filed a PIL petition demanding a ban on screening of PK and quashing of its certificate issued by the Censor Board for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
The petition will be heard on January 5.
