Vidhu Vinod Chopra reacts to petition against Shikara

Putting out his reaction on the petition that sought a stay on the release of Shikara, producer and director Vidhu Vinod Chopra said that he will let his legal team handle the matter.

Mumbai: Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has recently reacted to the news of a petition seeking a stay on the release of his upcoming film Shikara: The Untold Story of Kashmiri Pandits.

Chopra stated: "We have just learnt from media sources that a petition has been filed by few people in J&K Court against the release of Shikara. We have no other information in this matter, our counsel Harish Salve will take appropriate steps as may be required."

A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed earlier in the day on Tuesday in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court against Chopra's upcoming film demanding a stay on release and the deleting of certain scenes.

Shikara is set against the backdrop of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from the Kashmir Valley in late 1989 and early 1990, in the wake of violent Islamist insurgency.

The petitioners Iftikhar Misgar, Majid Hyderi and Irfan Hafiz Lone have alleged that the film portrays untrue facts about Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits.

READ | Plea against Shikara: Film shows Muslims in bad light

Misgar told IANS: "We are asking for stalling the release and deleting a few scenes that portray the valley's Muslims in a bad light."
"We have urged the high court to take the case up on a priority basis," he added.

"Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits" marks Vidhu Vinod Chopra's comeback to Bollywood as a director for the first time since his 2007 release Eklavya.

With inputs from IANS.