HC asks to stop screening of movie Faraaz on online platforms

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday asked the concerned bodies of the government to take necessary steps to stop the screening of Bollywood movie ‘Faraaz’, that depicted the Holey Artisan café attack on the night of July 1, 2016, in Dhaka, on all online platforms in the country.
Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and other respondents have been asked to comply with the order.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order after hearing on a writ petition filed seeking its directves to stop the screening of Bollywood movie Faraaz.
It also issued a rule asking the government bodies to explain as to why their failure to take necessary steps to stop screening of the movie Faraaz on Netflix, Amazon Prime and other online platforms, any cinema hall, Cineplex and any film exhibition in the country shouldn’t be declared illegal.
In the rule it also wanted to know from the respondents to explain as to why they shouldn’t be directed to take necessary steps to stop screening of the film on those platforms.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission and Inspector General of Police (IGP) have been asked to comply with the rule.
Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud and lawyer Ahsanul Karim appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Bepul Bagmar represented the state.
Later Mr Ahsanul Karim said the High Court asked the respondents to stop screening of the movie Faraaz on all online platforms in the country.
Since the screening of the film in the cinema hall or Cineplex involves the issue of approval or clearance from the Censor Board, the court didn’t pass any order regarding this part, added the lawyer.
Ruba Ahmed, mother of Abinta Kabir who is one of the 22 people killed in the brutal attack on the Holey Artisan café in Gulshan, filed the writ petition recently.
Ruba Ahmed was protesting the production and screening of the movie from the very beginning. She even held a press conference on her demand. There, she also outlined the rationale for her objections to the film. Finally she moved the High Court.
Abinta was a student of Emory University in the United States. She was at Holey Artisan Café with her friends Tarishi Jain and Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain when all three were killed by a group of terrorists.
Indian filmmaker Hansal Mehta made the movie ‘Faraaz’ in Bollywood based on this brutal attack which stirred up the country and abroad seven years ago. After releasing the trailer of the movie on January 16, the movie was released across India on February 3.
Ruba Ahmed prayed to the HC to pass an order upon the respondents to stop the screening of Faraaz movie on Netflix, Amazon Prime and other online platforms, any cinema hall, Cineplex and any film exhibition in the country.
Lawyer Ahsanul Kabir said that the girl’s character was degraded in this film and the country’s law enforcement agencies, RAB, police, have also been shown as failure in Faraaz movie.