The Delhi High Court refused to grant interim stay on the streaming of the Netflix series Hasmukh, as it dismissed a plea claiming that the series showed advocates and the profession in a bad light.
The petition claimed that the makers have not only demeaned the advocates but also the police and politicians. It said that the statements made against the community are highly disparaging, defamatory and bring disrepute to the law profession, lawyers and advocates in the eyes of the general public.
Advocate Ashutosh Dubey, the petitioner, sought deletion of some parts of the series, especially episode four. The main suit is still pending and both the parties have been asked to file their replies in this regard. The plea claimed that the series has allegedly portrayed lawyers as thieves, scoundrels, goons and “rapists”.
The series, starring Vir Das, shows him playing Hasmukh, as a young man from Saharanpur who wants to be a comedian. However, there’s a price to pay as he realises that before every stage performance, he needs to murder someone to be able to perform.
Hasmukh also stars Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa, Ravi Kishan, Amrita Bagchi, Suhail Nayyar, Inaamulhaq and Raza Murad and is directed by Nikhil Gonsalves.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)