Sara Ali Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer 'Kedarnath' banned in 7 districts of Uttarakhand

After breathing a sense of relief a day ahead of release, Kedarnath is back to the turmoil of problems in Uttarakhand. A ban has been imposed on the release of Sara Ali Khan’s Bollywood debut in seven districts of Uttarakhand, owing to the protests by Hindu outfits, a senior official said on Friday. Also starring the Kaipo Che star Sushant Singh Rajput, the Abhishek Kapoor directorial venture released on Friday.

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The decision has been taken by District Magistrates concerned in view of the situation prevailing in their areas, ADG (law and order) Ashok Kumar told PTI on Friday. There will be no screening of the film in seven districts of the state where Hindu outfits have protested against the film burning effigies of film-makers, Ashok added.

Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Udham, Singh Nagar, Pauri, Tehri, and Almora are among the districts where the film has been banned, the ADG asserted.

The district magistrates of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar had on Thursday imposed a ban on the screening of the film.

Kedarnath is a romantic flick which revolves around the disastrous 2013 Uttarakhand floods. Soon after the trailer was launched, the film landed in a pit of troubles when Teerth purohits (priests) of the shrine town of Kedarnath in Uttarakhand’s Chardham demanded that a blanket ban is imposed on the movie stating that it hurts the Hindu religious sentiments and promotes ‘Love Jihad’. However, ahead of its Friday release, the Uttarakhand High Court, following the Bombay and Gujarat High Courts, has dismissed a PIL filed against the film.

The petitioner pleaded with the court to stop the release and sought a ban on the film. Dismissing the petition, a division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Ramesh Khulbe said a similar controversy surrounding the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat had made the film a super hit. The court advised the petitioner to approach a high powered committee headed by the Rudraprayag district magistrate with his objections to the movie.

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Sushant Singh Rajput is playing the role of a pithu, who carries pilgrims on their backs and is a Muslim by religion while Sara plays a role of a Hindu girl who falls in love with him.

Produced by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP and Pragya Kapoor's Guy In the Sky Pictures, Kedarnath is directed by Abhishek Kapoor.