Supreme Court suggests changing name of 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' movie

Supreme Court. File Pic

The Supreme Court referred to the pendency of several cases against the Bollywood movie Gangubai Kathiawadi and suggested that changing the name of the movie may be considered by the makers of the film.

The Alia Bhatt-starrer, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bhansali Production Private Ltd, is scheduled for release this Friday. A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheswari suggested the name change to the respondents which included the production house.

"List on February 24, on top of the Board," the bench ordered while deciding to hear the plea of Babuji Rawji Shah, who claims to be the adoptive son of Gangubai, against the Bombay High Court's order declining him various reliefs such as interim stay on the release of the movie. Shah had earlier moved the high court seeking an order restraining the writers/publishers of the novel from creating any third-party rights or writing any other story on the life of his mother (Gangubai Kathiawadi). He had also sought a stay on release of the movie 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'.

The high court, in its order passed on July 30 last year, had rejected the application noting that any content of defamatory nature dies with that person's death. ¿It is for the appellant (Shah) to demonstrate that he is the adoptive son of deceased Gangubai Kathiawadi, which he has prima facie failed to do," the high court had said, adding that "in a case of claim for defamation, action can be brought by a person in Court of law provided he claimed to be defamed. Merely because the Appellant is claiming to be son of such person cannot be prima facie inferred to have the legal right to show indulgence."

The film is reportedly based on the novel "The Mafia Queens of Mumbai" and Shah had sought that the movie not be released. Prior to this, a lower court had rejected the defamation lawsuit of Shah leading to filing of an appeal in the high court which also refused to grant any interim relief to him.

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