Jaipur, June 17: A screening of Ranbir Kapoor- Katrina Kaif starrer Raajneeti has landed BJP MLAs in Rajasthan and a five- star hotel in trouble.
Five- star luxury hotel Jaipur Greens, playing safe house to the MLAs to avoid horse- trading by the Congress ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, organised a special screening of the Prakash Jha film.
Producer- director Jha is now contemplating moving court over the movie’s unauthorised public screening.
Jaipur’s Yogendra Singh also filed a criminal complaint in a court on Wednesday against BJP whip
Rajendra Rathore as well as the hotel authorities for illegally screening the movie.
Jha, who was in Patna on Wednesday, said he had referred the matter to his lawyers in Mumbai and that they were preparing for legal action. “ We are working on all available options in the matter,” he said.
“ I’m very angry. It is shameful to see the lawmakers of the country become lawbreakers,” Jha added.
Sources said his company, Prakash Jha Productions, provided media clippings and related documentary evidence to the lawyers who were preparing to file a suit for Jha.
The BJP leaders violated the Indian Copyright Act, 1957, that prohibits screening as well watching movie at public places without prior permission.
When Marudhar entertainment Private Limited ( MEPL), the distributor of Raajneeti in the state, came to know about the incident they informed Jha, company director Amitabh Gupta said.
Gupta said the video rights of the movie, which was released on June 4, were with Jha. “ We have taken the incident very seriously,” Gupta added.
“ As the movie was screened with a pirated DVD, the district authorities should act against the hotel as well as the BJP MLAs,” said R. K. Shara, former chairman of the vigilance commission of the Central Circuit Cine Association ( CCCA), a body of film exhibitors.
“ Under the copyright Act, the hotel and the BJP MLAs are punishable,” Shara said.
A confidant of Jha, Shara said the filmmaker initially wanted to prosecute the guilty in Jaipur itself but later decided to initiate legal proceedings in Mumbai.
“ The rights for public screening lie with the producer of a movie. Even the distributor is prohibited from such a screening,” he added. BJP whip Rathore said Raajneeti was screened for the party legislators and leaders who were in the hotel to chalk out the poll strategy. He said it aimed at trying to thwart the Congress’s attempt to convert Rajasthan into a marketplace for trading legislators.
The multi- starrer drew attraction as some of its characters had resemblance to real life politicians, especially Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
—Agencies