Lawsuit filed over Dhoom 2 kiss

[JenniferJanu]

I'm shaking my head with disbelief here, thinking of all the other lip-locking (and more) films that have been produced lately and wondering why no lawsuits were filed over them.

 Stars face court action over kiss

Mon Dec 4, 9:49 AM ET

BHOPAL, India (Reuters Life!) - A kissing scene from a movie starring Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan has irked a lawyer who has filed a criminal case against them, accusing them of obscenity, he said on Sunday.


Shailendra Dwivedi of Indore, near Bhopal, the capital of central Madhya Pradesh state, said the scene from the movie, titled "Dhoom 2," lowered the dignity of Indian women and gave an obscene message to youth.

"Bollywood actors are conveying vulgarity in the society," Dwivedi told Reuters. "These films cannot be watched with our families, they are so vulgar at times."

A local court accepted Dwivedi's petition to punish the actors and said it would hear the petitioner on December 11.

The Indian censor board, which certifies all films, released the movie with a "parental discretion" certificate.

A majority of Indians frown upon intimacy in public.

[jackie]

can someone please show this lawyer at least ONE emraan hashmi film?!

i mean... do they think that there will be more people who will watch dhoom2 than those who watch a film with emraan hashmi? if so, then there might be some 'public interest' in this accusation... or?! well,... i dont know, just cant understand this lawyer

[kelikea15]

This is absolutely absurd!  I know kissing is definitely not the norm in Bollywood and that many look down on it, but to file a lawsuit because someone thinks it's vulgar and not suitable for families? Give me a break!!! 

[Darshana]

Actually it is not a lawsuit, it is a criminal charge.

I wonder what remedy the court has against a person like this taking up the time and money of the country's resources.  I guess none, except I suppose a rap on the knuckles. 

[Ashish]

Cheap publicity stunt by lawyer. Case will mostly be dismissed with few representation from defendant. I hope judge fine the petitioner for wasting court's time and money.

[jamesronsson]

Cheap publicity stunt by lawyer. Case will mostly be dismissed with few representation from defendant. I hope judge fine the petitioner for wasting court's time and money.

Well, given the backlog in the Indian judicial system, it should actually go to court around the time that Badsurat Lever-Rai, the grandson of Bollywood's most unexpected joDi, stars alongside Paokina Kapoor in Phir Phir Phir Phir Phir Phir Phir Phir Hera Pheri.

[filmcrazy]

As usual, a lot of drama for nothing. If someone is not crazy about the kiss, it is ok to just stay away from the film. Don't take your kids to watch it. I fail to understand why Indians take their kids to these kinds of movies that have women wearing minimal clothing, dance seductively etc. To me, that seems more harmful than a kissing scene.  If it is a family film like Vivah or something, then it makes sense. I think the youth have enough common sense to decide what is best for them. They don't need to see a kissing scene to become corrupt. They can watch hundreds of HW movies coming out and they do get to see much worse things on cable channels. Just looks at the re-mix stuff coming out. It is downright vulgar and are just so in-your-face when it comes to showing sexual stuff. First ban these things on TV. Then, come up with some kind of a system and develop some sense before taking your family to watch films. People have no qualms about taking kids to see movies like No Entry,KANK and what not, which deals with adult issues (infidelity, bar dancing, seduction scenes). I think instead of making a hue and cry about a kissing scene and sueing the actors, the parents and the general public should become aware of the nature of the film and then decide whether it is for a family audience or not. Also, what is the censor board doing? They seem so inept at doing their work.

[asante]

The questions that comes up as i'm reading this article
"is this news even valid"
It seems like just another rumour to me!!! just as the "Aish marry a tree" article.
They can't possibly skip Malikka Sherawat or Emraan Hashmi (shudders )
and go on to sue Hrithik and Aish.
Therefore i don't feel we are in a postion to judge which movies Indians take their children to!!!

[AKlover4life]

wow, these people must have nothing better to do with their lives than make a big deal out of nothing. i was surprised when ash kissed hrithik in dhoom 2, but it didn't make me like her less (if that's possible  i'm not a big fan).

but i'm just wondering, did lawyers and people make such a 'natak' in the 90s when people kissed onscreen? or did they let it slide? if anyone has any info, i'm interested...

[filmcrazy]

Therefore i don't feel we are in a postion to judge which movies Indians take their children to!!!

I don't know if this is a valid article, but I think there is a major flaw in the way a lot of people today look at movies in India. They don't have problems taking kids to movies that involve adult subject matters and really explicit dancing, but people make a big deal about a kissing scene. I mean, I have seen kids accompanying parents to movies like KANK, No Entry, Ankahee and what not. None of these movies are for kids or even family. I just feel the subject matter is unsuitable for kids. But, parents wouldn't bat their eyelids when they take their children to these kinds of films, but the minute a kiss surfaces anywhere, they will close their child's eyes and say 'chee chee'... so, I personally think a lot of people aren't careful about it. It is so weird.

[Ashish]

There is one theory about increased number of reactions, law suits, protests about supposed vulgarity in movies recently. It has to do with last desperate attempts by religious fundamentalists and ulta-conservatives to hold on to their way of things. That is, it is sign of fast changing society with which some people cannot cope with. Hence the desperate illogical stunts.

Or it may be just that it is fashionable to do such absurd things without a reason. Fast communication and instant news coverage, coupled with need for mass attention in increasing competitive news market, have made such tactics successful in their aim of quick publicity.

[JenniferJanu]

The article claims to be a Reuters piece, so it's likely more valid than, say, a Filmfare or Stardust story. (I actually copied it off Yahoo news). That said, I will try to find more info about this issue later as I am at work right now and really shouldn't even be on this board... 

[NaijaChiqa]

It appears to be true... just google it

http://www.google.com/search?q=Stars+face+court+action+over+kiss&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

[JenniferJanu]

Isn't it funny that when Aish was being asked, 'what will you do if you are asked to KISS in a Hollywood movie?!!' (interviewer all hysterical-like) Aish responded by saying she would 'cross that bridge when I come to it.' Meanwhile, she's kissing all over the place in Bollywood movies. Well, OK, maybe not in every single one, but she did have three minute sex scene with Sanjay Dutt in Shabd and now the Dhoom 2 kiss.... (I have not seen Umrao Jaan and Guru, so I don't know if there are kisses in those).

And for the record, I'd like to say that I'd rather see 50, closed mouth kisses in a BW film over Kajol's sister's overexposed thighs, et al, anyday! 

[Sajna]

And for the record, I'd like to say that I'd rather see 50, closed mouth kisses in a BW film over Kajol's sister's overexposed thighs, et al, anyday! 

Same here, Jennifer.

[SuperSonic77]

After seeing the movie... I couldn't believe that there was a lawsuit over this... I thought the kiss was hot from Hrithik's perspective but Ash disappointed... So overall, it was't really anything to write home about... I wanted to see more kissing between these two not less  That was one of the few disappointments in this film...

And I agree, there is lots more kissing in other films (I have seen one Emraan Hashmi film and that is enough for me, thanks) between other BW stars and I don't see anyone griping about them. If you don't want to see kissing, then don't go... Just don't impose those standards on others. 

[asante]

Okay!! i guess i'll have to take back my words about the news not being valid!!!
I checked everywhere and it says the same thing!!!
They're being sued for kissing onscreen.
Either this is a way for the media to make some publicity for those 2 or
that lawyer is really exaggerating. Don't tell me he was hibernating when Murder (Malikka Sherawat & Emraan Hashmi) came out, that was a box office hit!!

[Sajna]

Dhoom 2 gets Munnabhai treatment

Agencies
December 05, 2006

LOCKED OVER LIPLOCK: People are protesting an 'obscene kiss' between Ash and Hrithik in Dhoom 2

Indore: A protest is underway at Indore against an allegedly obscene Aishwarya Rai-Hrithik Roshan kiss in the recently released Bollywood flick Dhoom 2.

A few people burnt posters in the Rajwada locality on Monday.

The Gandhigiri form of protest - popularised by the Sanjay Dutt-starrer Lage Raho Munnabhai - was also employed to prevent people from watching the movie.

Youths stood in front of a cinema hall screening Dhoom 2 and offered roses to people with a message not to watch it.

Earlier, a case was filed against Aishwarya and Hrithik in Indore for the obscene sequence in Dhoom-2.

The case was filed in the court of judicial magistrate first class R K Batham by advocate Shailendra Dwivedi under Sections 292 (vulgarity) and 509 (derogatory to women) of the IPC.

The complainant has alleged that women felt offended after watching the scene and it promoted vulgarity in society, especially among the youth.

The court has fixed December 11 for recording evidence in the case.

[Prem Rogue]

Finally, a good use for Gandhigiri.

[NaijaChiqa]

Well, I haven't seen the movie but I'm guessing that the kiss was between two characters in love. So a kiss shared by people in love promotes vulgarity? I'm guessing Dhoom 2 had fight scenes and things being blown up. Do those scenes make everyone hold hands and sing Kumbaya?

[Roosi]

Cant believe this has made the news in an Aussie national newspaper! 

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20879288-16947,00.html

A KISS may be just a kiss in most of the Western world - and increasingly among India's Westernised urban elite.
But when it is on screen and between two of Bollywood's biggest heart-throbs, it still amounts to a whole lot more than a hill of beans.

In fact, according to an Indian court, it could be considered a crime. A criminal case has been filed against Aishwarya Rai, the former Miss World, and Hrithik Roshan over their on-screen kiss in the recently released action film Dhoom 2.

Shailendra Dwivedi, a lawyer in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, filed the suit last week and a court has agreed to hear the case on Monday.

Mr Dwivedi accused the pair of lowering the dignity of Indian women and encouraging obscenity among India's youth.

Legal experts say the suit is almost certain to be thrown out by the court. But it highlights the enduringly conservative attitudes towards public displays of affection in the country that produced the Kama Sutra.

The suit was filed a few days after another public storm over a photograph of Vasundhara Raje, the female Chief Minister of Rajasthan, air-kissing a woman at a World Economic Forum meeting.

The photograph, taken from an angle, makes it look like the two women are kissing on the lips. Several Indian media outlets ran the picture alongside protests from politicians and commentators who branded it obscene and vulgar.

Analysts say that both kissing controversies speak of the social gulf between India's increasingly Westernised middle class and its highly conservative masses.

Today, most young middle-class Indians are exposed to the same sort of films, television shows and computer games, laced with sex and violence, as their Western counterparts.

They also enjoy greater freedom than ever to date, and kiss, beyond the prying eyes of their parents. "There's a structural change taking place in relationships because of urbanisation," said Dipankar Gupta, a sociologist from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

In most of India, kissing in public is extremely rare between heterosexual couples and unheard of between homosexual ones.

Bollywood films only started to show on-screen kisses in the late 1990s, and they were mostly sanitised smacks on the lips.

But the film industry must still tread a fine line between keeping up with the times and offending its core audience.

And whatever they do in front of the camera, female stars remain fiercely protective of their reputations off screen. In 2004, Kareena Kapoor, another Bollywood actor, sued a Bombay tabloid after it printed pictures of her allegedly kissing her boyfriend in a restaurant.
Ms Kapoor, who had appeared in an advertisement covered in chocolate, said at the time that she belonged to a respectable family and could never have performed such an act in public.
Rai and Roshan were not available for comment.

[Prem Rogue]

Ms Kapoor, who had appeared in an advertisement covered in chocolate

Hahaha 

[NaijaChiqa]

Hahaha 

lol... you beat me to it. 

[JenniferJanu]

Ms Kapoor.... said at the time that she belonged to a respectable family and could never have performed such an act in public.

Triple hahaha!     

Seriously, though! Why were Murder and Neal 'n Nikki acceptable films and one lousy KISS in Dhoom 2 has people yelling 'vulgarity!' Somebody show these protesters those two particular films! That song from Neal 'n Nikki that goes 'I want to show my body, move the night away' is EXTREMELY vulgar--and I'm NOT a prude, but it was disgusting for a Bollywood film. Her skirt was so short you could practically see....well, the part of her that Brittney Spears likes to show off lately.    Oh, but because she wasn't mouth-kissing anybody at the time, it was OK, I guess. Whatever.

BTW: what's this Kareena-covered-in-chocolate pic? I'm curious. hahaha.

[jhana]

BTW: what's this Kareena-covered-in-chocolate pic? I'm curious. hahaha.

Advert for Lux.