'No filmmaker wants to hurt'—'Jaat' director on controversial church scene
What's the story
Director Gopichand Malineni has broken his silence about the controversy surrounding his debut Bollywood project, Jaat, starring Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda.
The film, which was released on April 10, had garnered backlash over a scene where Hooda and his gang threaten people in a church.
Speaking to Mid-Day, Malineni clarified that the "Censor Board didn't mention anything for the trailer cut," but later asked them to "blur the background in the film print."
Director's statement
'No filmmaker wants to hurt any people or community...'
Malineni stressed that the contentious scene was modified even before anyone objected to it publicly.
"If a film has to be a blockbuster, it has to be watched by as many people as possible. No filmmaker wants to hurt any people or community."
"We want to entertain them," he said.
Team's response
'Jaat' team removed the controversial scene after backlash
Responding to the backlash, Mythri Movie Makers released a statement on Friday evening announcing the removal of the controversial scene from the film.
The statement read, "There has been a backlash for a specific scene in the film."
"The scene has been removed from the film with immediate effect. Our intention was not to hurt any religious sentiments."
Meanwhile, the makers recently announced that the film will spawn a sequel, Jaat 2.
Legal action
FIR was filed against 'Jaat' team for 'disrespecting' Christianity
A complaint was filed against the Jaat team, alleging the film has scenes that "disrespect Jesus Christ and Christian religious practices."
The complainant, Viklav Gold, questioned the film's release timing during the Holy Week.
Sanjeev Kumar, SHO of the Jalandhar Cantonment police station, confirmed that Deol, Hooda, Vineet Kumar, Malineni, and producer Naveen of Mythri Movie Makers were named in the FIR filed on Wednesday evening.