Mumbai: The Batla House encounter took place on September 19, 2008, when a team of the Delhi Police Special Cell raided a flat in Batla House in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar following a tip-off that terrorists allegedly involved in the September 13 serial blasts in the national capital were holed up there. During the raid, a decorated police officer, Inspector MC Sharma, was killed.
After 48 hours I have started to breathe again,” says Nikkhil Advani, minutes after exiting the Delhi High Court courtroom. His upcoming film, which is based on the Batla House encounter, was cleared after a hearing which lasted almost all of Tuesday.
“For a while it was touch and go but our counsel, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, put up credible arguments and after reading the original judgement in its entirety, the judge agreed that the film is completely based on this judgement which is in the public domain,” added the producer-director.
An accused in the case, Aziz Khan aka Junaid, moved the High Court last Friday asking for a stay on the release, arguing that the film’s posters and trailers depict the petitioners as terrorists and guilty of the crimes they are accused of, and so would adversely affect his trial which is on in a lower court.
They must carry a three-minute disclaimer, in Hindi and English, stating that the film is a work of fiction. “However, the judge has ordered the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to not waste time on another screening after the changes are incorporated and treat this judgement to clear the film for screening. So, after a last-minute legal battle, Batla House will keep its Independence Day date with the theatres.
The film was to be shot in Delhi, Lucknow, Mussoorie, Mumbai, Jaipur and Nepal starting in September 2018 in span of 50 days.
Directed by Nikhil Advani the film stars John Abraham in lead as police officer named Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Nora Fatehi (special appearance), Ravi Kishan, Alok Pandey.
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