Directed by Ravindra Gautam, ‘Ajey’ features Anant Joshi, Paresh Rawal, Sarwar Ahuja, and Rajesh Khattar in key roles. The film was originally scheduled for release on August 1.
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The film ‘Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi’, said to be inspired by the life of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has run into trouble with India’s censor board.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has denied a certificate to the film, effectively blocking its release. This decision has sparked a legal battle, with the filmmakers approaching the Bombay High Court.
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The film is based on the book ‘The Monk Who Became Chief Minister’, which has been available in the public domain for about eight years without controversy. The film’s producers, Samrat Cinematics, claim that the CBFC rejected their application to certify the film, as well as its trailer and songs, without even viewing the material.
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A legal team representing the filmmakers, Advocates Aseem Naphade, Satatya Anand, and Nikhil Aradhe, argued in court that the board’s rejection was arbitrary and unexplained.
They also pointed out that there had already been delays in the certification process. And, they reportedly had paid extra charges for priority screening.
Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court had directed the CBFC to make a decision promptly. That came after the filmmakers filed a petition over the delay. On July 17, the board had promised the court it would take action within two days. However, the certification was denied only much later.
A bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale will hear the matter again on Friday, August 1. The judges have questioned why the CBFC would reject a film that is based on a book that has been publicly available for years without any issues.
They also issued a notice to the CBFC and asked the board to explain how the film could pose a threat to public order if the book itself did not.
The bench also criticized the CBFC for failing to process the certification in a timely manner. “You cannot sit on an application, especially when they have paid the priority charges,” the court remarked. “The application has to be decided.”
Directed by Ravindra Gautam, ‘Ajey’ features Anant Joshi, Paresh Rawal, Sarwar Ahuja, and Rajesh Khattar in key roles. The film was originally scheduled for release on August 1, but that now seems uncertain given the ongoing dispute.
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