MUMBAI: Bombay HC on Tuesday said the movie ‘Hamare Baarah‘ sends out a social message for empowerment of women and is not offensive to religious sentiments of Muslims.
“This movie is about upliftment (sic) and the voice of women. The trailer is misleading… has caused problems,” said Justices Burgess Colabawalla and Justice Firdosh Pooniwalla. After an initial injunction on June 7, HC allowed the movie’s release.On June 13, SC had stayed the release till HC disposed of the petition.
The judges said they saw the movie and were “surprised” that petitioners were making statements based on the trailer. Also, parts of the movie CBFC objected to are deleted. The judges said the movie is about “one man and one family”. It is about a man’s daughter from first marriage seeking medical termination of the pregnancy for her step-mother due to danger to her life. He refuses as abortion is contrary to their religion. After his wife’s post-delivery death, he realises his “huge mistake” and reforms. The judges said they “didn’t see anything in the movie that will incite violence” and the trailer “unnecessarily sensationalises everything”.
When advocates argued the movie misinterprets religious verses, the judges said the film is not on religious texts. They said the theme of the movie is the man misinterpreting provisions of Quran to do a social wrong. “That is the long and short of the movie,” said Justice Colabawalla. He said the public “is not so gullible” and “neither so silly”. “It is, in fact, a thinking movie. Not one where you leave your brains at home and want to enjoy absolute nonsense,” he added.