Now Reading: Filmmaker Amit Jani moves Supreme Court over Salman Khan teaser row
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Filmmaker Amit Jani moves Supreme Court over Salman Khan teaser row
Filmmaker Amit Jani has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi high court's July 27 order to remove the teaser of his film 'Kala Hiran: The Battle…
Filmmaker Amit Jani has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi high court's July 27 order to remove the teaser of his film 'Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy'. The high court had acted on Bollywood star Salman Khan's plea alleging violation of his personality rights, finding prima facie that the promotional material could harm his reputation through fictional character references and film clips. Jani maintains the film and teaser do not feature Khan or gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
The Delhi high court did not ban the film itself but directed removal of the teaser and related promotional content. Jani argues the order restrains artistic and journalistic expression without identifying precise actionable use. He also reported receiving threats, saying callers have warned of killing him if he makes a film on Salman Khan, and has brought this to the notice of authorities including the NIA.
Jani has questioned what he called 'judicial censorship', pointing out that films already require certification from the Central Board of Film Certification. He complied with the high court order while challenging it. The Supreme Court is yet to schedule a hearing.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The case tests the boundary of personality rights against creative freedom in India. Courts have historically protected celebrities from commercial misuse of their identity, but the question here is whether a fictional character loosely inspired by public events, here the 1998 blackbuck poaching case involving Khan, crosses that line. The Delhi high court's interim order did not ban the film, only the teaser, so the core film remains unaffected pending the Supreme Court's view. The threats Jani alleges, if substantiated, add a security dimension that the court may factor in. Watch for whether the Supreme Court issues notice to Salman Khan and whether it lays down a test for fictionalised portrayals of real persons in the public domain.
Source: rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
