'Dum Maaro Dum' makers could be dragged to court

Panaji, April 21 (IANS) The government could go to court against "Dum Maaro Dum" to protect the dignity of women, a Congress MP said Thursday, citing Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni's dissatisfaction with some dialogues in the film.

Goa's only Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik said this in a press statement here just a day before the global release of Rohan Sippy's controversial film.

He said Soni had "expressed her dissatisfaction over the stand of the producers-exhibitors to retain dialogues in the prints meant for overseas distribution and said, in the present situation, seeking redress from the court after the release of the film abroad, is the only solution remaining, in order to protect the dignity of women".

Naik, according to the statement, met Soni along with Chief Minister Digambar Kamat over the film.

He said the union minister was seeking to amend Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act 1952 soon; this would "empower it (the ministry) to intervene in public interest".

Earlier this week, Naik had called the producer of the film "anti-national" for the refusal to delete a controversial dialogue, calling Goa a land of cheap women, from the film's international prints.

It appears they "have no regard for the people of the country and their dignity, and money is the only criteria in their mind", Naik said.

Incidentally, Naik's wife Bina is on the government appointed committee, which was directed by Kamat to screen the film along with the film producer Fox Star Studios, before its release. The committee headed by information secretary Rajiv Verma, which was appointed April 14, has not had a single sitting yet.

DMD, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu, will be released Friday in 20 countries at 350 international locations and at 1,000 theatres and multiplexes throughout India.

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