A petition moved in the Bombay High Court by Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, Aarushi’s parents who have been convicted on charges of her murder, pleading the court to stay the release of a Hindi film allegedly based on the murder of Aarushi Talwar, a 13-year old girl from Noida.
“The petitioners have challenged the censor certification granted to the Hindi movie ‘Rahasya’. They have claimed that the film is based on the true story of Aarushi. They have alleged that the film will affect their appeal pending before the Allahabad High Court,” advocate Atul Damle, representing the director and producer of the film, told The Hindu on Saturday.
Manish Gupta has directed the movie. It has been produced by UVI film production private limited.
The court is to hear the petition on March 4 when the respondents will put forth their arguments.
According to the Talwars, the allegations made against them do not hold any merit. The movie, they claim, may end up hampering their constitutional right of a fair trial, as their appeal is pending before the Allahabad High Court.
The film is slated for a release by around mid-2014. It has been granted U/A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification. The petition has challenged the certification on the grounds that the film contravenes section 5 of the Cinematography Act.
“The petition mainly seek setting aside of the U/A certification granted by the Central Board of Film Certification, and a stay on the distribution and release of the film,” Mr. Damle said.
When it came up for hearing before the court on Friday, the producer and director sought time to respond to it. “We received the notice only on 26th February. So we sought more time from the court. The judges have granted us time till March 4,” he said.
The cast of the film ‘Rahasya’ includes Kay Kay Menon, Tisca Chopra, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mita Vashisht and Ashwini Kalsekar.
