No prohibition on screening of 'Kedarnath' in Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand government on Thursday decided not to impose any prohibition on the screening of the film 'Kedarnath' in the state after a four-member committee led by Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj submitted its report.

The committee was constituted by the state government on Wednesday to probe complaints related to the movie.

The Bombay High Court, too, dismissed a plea filed against the Abhishek Kapoor directorial, claiming that the movie allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of people.

The petition, filed by lawyers Ramesh Chandra Mishra and Prabhakar Tripathi, sought to reassess the flick by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on grounds that "it hurts religious sentiments and promotes love-jihad".

The petition claimed that "The love story between a Hindu girl (played by Sara) and a Muslim boy (played by Sushant) will create a drastic situation and will promote love-jihad."

The plea also stated that shooting a love scene at a place like Kedarnath, which is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus, hurts their religious sentiments.

'Kedarnath' has been at the centre of political controversies since the teaser of the movie was released almost two months back.

During the trailer launch of the film which was held in Mumbai last month, Abhishek had addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the movie, saying "When people will watch the movie they will know that there is nothing controversial in it. We have made it with a lot of love and it is about love."

The flick, which marks the debut of Sara, is set against the backdrop of a catastrophic deluge that hit the Himalayan shrine in 2013.

In the film, Sushant plays the role of a Muslim 'Pithu' named Mansoor, who carries luggage and old people on his back, while Sara plays the role of a Hindu tourist pilgrimage, Mukku. Showcasing the power of love, the two can be seen withstanding the wrath of nature as flash floods wreak havoc in Kedarnath.

The movie also stars Nitish Bharadwaj, Alka Amin, Sonali Sachdev, Pooja Gor, and Nishant Dahiya, and is set to hit the big screens today.