Subhash Ghai to HC: My film 'Black & White' is not anti-Muslim

New Delhi, June 17 (PTI) Indian film producer and
director Subhash Ghai has refuted allegations that his movie
'Black and White' depicts Muslims in a poor light and alleged
that a petition filed in Delhi High Court seeking a ban on the
film is politically motivated.

In his reply filed in the High Court, he contended that
purpose behind the petition filed by a Delhi University
professor was to tarnish his image.

"The petition is malicious and filed with ulterior motive
to tarnish my image, reputation and goodwill in the film
fraternity and appears to have been politically motivated,"
Ghai contended in his reply.

He said that the petitioner, instead of taking a holistic
view, has focused on isolated scenes of the film.

"By referring to a single isolated word and sequence, the
petitioner is personally and politically motivated to spread
disharmony and discord," he said denying that the film was
directed against the Muslim community.

Ghai filed his reply on a petition by Dr Khalid Alvi,
Head of Urdu Department in Zakir Hussain College, who had
contended that the film portrayed the Muslim community in a
bad light and its screening should be stayed.

"The producer, director and the script writer have
intentionally produced the film with an anti-Muslim angle. The
film is communally inflammable," Alvi said in his petition.

Alvi had alleged that the protagonist of the film, a
professor of Zakir Hussain College, is based on his character
which has been wrongly portrayed.

The students and the staff of the college were stunned
and shocked that the college was used with such a malafide and
inimical intention of the film-maker, hand in glove with the
censor board, to malign their community as anti-national and
unpatriotic, Alvi had said.

Gahi, however, denied that the film was directed against
the petitioner's personality and said, "The object of my film
is to promote communal harmony, peace, stability and
integrity".

"Apprehension has been falsely represented by the
petitioner that the film is causing communal disharmony or
likely to incite people to commit any acts of terrorism," the
producer said.

Earlier, the High Court, after hearing the contention
of the petitioner had issued notice to Ghai along with Anil
Kapoor, who essayed the role of protagonist in the film. PTI