A day before the release of Lakshmi’s NTR, Ram Gopal Varma’s controversial film, the Andhra High Court has issued a stay order preventing the screenings of the film. The stay order has pushed the release until 3 April. Based on former Andhra Chief Minister NT Ramarao’s marriage with Lakshmi Parvathi, the film is considered controversial.
This decision by the HC has been taken after two individuals filed a petition to stay the release of the film till the elections on 11 April. For now, the judge has adjourned further hearing on the petition. The producer of the film will be holding a special screening of Lakshmi’s NTR privately for the judge in their chamber. This screening will allow the judge to make a final decision in the presence lawyers representing both sides.
P. Sudhakar Reddy, the counsel for the producer, argued that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had already issued the censor certificate to the movie. He also brought to the notice of the judge that the Telangana High Court last week refused to stay the movie.
It was originally scheduled to release on 22 March but the CBFC refused to process it, citing the model code of conduct for elections. Varma later announced that the film will be released on 29 March as the misunderstanding with the CBFC was cleared.
Earlier, a TDP worker had petitioned the Election Commission urging it to stop the release of Lakshmi's NTR on the ground that this could impact the coming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. The petitioner complained that the film has portrayed TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in a negative light, which could influence voters.
(With inputs from IANS)
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