'Objectionable' scenes shouldn't be shot around centres of faith: U'khand min

With a ban imposed on the release of "Kedarnath" in seven districts of Uttarakhand, Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj Friday said filmmakers should not stoke unnecessary controversies by shooting "objectionable" scenes around centres of faith.

The ban was imposed by district magistrates in seven districts of the state in view of protests by Hindu outfits, a senior official said.

"Kedarnath is a major centre of faith for crores of Hindus. Any objectionable scenes around it are bound to hurt religious sentiments. Filmmakers should be careful," Maharaj said, adding that it was his personal view.

"Filmmakers should not stoke unnecessary controversies by shooting objectionable scenes around centres of faith while using them as a backdrop or part of the storyline for their movies," the minister, who headed a committee to look into the objections to the film, said.

However, he said a policy will soon be framed by the state government to ensure that centres of faith are not commercially utilised by filmmakers in whichever way they want, a release quoting the minister and signed by his personal secretary said.

Temple committees of major pilgrimage centres of Uttarakhand are being asked to take a prior undertaking from filmmakers that they will not shoot any objectionable scenes around them while using them as a backdrop or part of their storyline.

The Sushant Singh Rajput-Sara Ali Khan starrer set against the backdrop of the 2013 deluge hit theatres across the country Friday.

The film depicts romance between a Muslim porter and a Hindu pilgrim.

The decision to ban the film in seven districts of the state has been taken by district magistrates concerned to maintain law and order in their areas, the senior official said.

There are a total of 13 districts in the state. The remaining six districts were left out of the ambit of the ban as there are no theatres or multiplexes.