After being served a legal notice for auctioning the naval uniform Akshay Kumar wore in Rustom, Twinkle Khanna has reportedly modified the uniform to a ‘naval costume’.
According to a report in CNN-News18, the auction house will only the sell “pant-shirt but not the medals and honorary badges used in the uniform”.
Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna have been served a legal notice for auctioning the naval uniform he wore in Rustom because they "have played with the sentiments of armed forces personnel and widows" of fallen soldiers.
The notice has also been sent to auction house SaltScout, which has put out the naval officer uniform for online bidding. As of Wednesday afternoon, the highest bid offered for the uniform -- which includes a shirt, pants and a hat -- was Rs 235,000. The auction closes on May 26 night.
The Bollywood couple has claimed that the money raised from the auction would be used for social causes and 90 per cent of the net proceeds from it would support NGO Janice's Trust, an animal rescue service, treatment centre and shelter based in Panchgani in Maharashtra.
But the auctioning of the uniform has rubbed some serving and ex soldiers the wrong way, claiming that "by putting (it) in auction, you have shown no respect for national interest (and) have also played with the sentiments of armed forces personnel and their widows and their family members".
"As a matter of fact, till date no uniform or medal has been put for auction. The reason for the same being that an officer's uniform is bestowed as a singular honour on a commissioned officer by President of India for life. It is not a contract but entails a liability for the nation's sake and thus the array of medals and ranks, insignia are for the discerning eye of the one who proudly wears it."
The legal notice has asked Akshay and Twinkle to cancel the auction "failing which necessary action shall be taken against you under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code".
The uniform Akshay wore in Rustom - a 2016 period thriller set in the 1950s about Parsi Indian naval officer Rustom Pavri, who is struggling with his marriage after he discovers his wife (played by Ileana D'Cruz) has an affair with his friend, a businessman who was trying to negotiate a deal to sell a damaged aircraft carrier to the Indian Navy.
The film was based on the real life incident of Naval Officer K. M. Nanavati and businessman Prem Ahuja.
(With inputs from IANS)
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