Sanjay Gandhi’s alleged daughter takes objection against Indu Sarkar
Sanjay Gandhi’s alleged daughter Priya Singh Paul has sent a legal notice to the parties concerned with ‘Indu Sarkar’, taking an objection that the Bollywood film will malign the family’s image
Sanjay Gandhi’s alleged daughter Priya Singh Paul has sent a four-page legal notice to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu, the chairperson of the CBFC Pahlaj Nihalani and producer of ‘Indu Sarkar’ Bharat Shah to stop the Censor Board from certifying Madhur Bhandarkar-directed political drama ‘Indu Sarkar’ and consequently delay the release. ‘Indu Sarkar’ is set against the backdrop of Emergency declared in 1977 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Dated 23rd June, the legal notice states that she (Priya Singh Paul) has come to know that her father Sanjay Gandhi and her grandmother Indira Gandhi, played by Neil Nitin Mukesh and Supriya Vinod respectively, are shown in roles without accurate or with sufficient historical data. And hence, it may be shown in poor light. It has been stated that Priya Singh Paul should first be shown the movie and after her approval should ‘Indu Sarkar’ release in theatres.
Known for his realistic cinema and being felicitated with National Award for films like ‘Chandni Bar’ and ‘Page 3’, Madhur Bhandarkar reacted to the legal controversy by sharing on Twitter, “Since 42 years, lot has been stated and published about the 1975 Emergency. But only when a film is made, one is threatened with legal consequences.”
Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), commonly known as Censor Board, Chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani too reacted to the objection to ‘Indu Sarkar’ saying, “We had no idea Shri Sanjay Gandhi had another child besides Varun Gandhi. The notice says Ms Priya Paul Singh is Shri Sanjay Gandhi’s ‘biological child’. It further says that this matter has come to light recently. We are not sure the Gandhi ‘parivaar’ is aware of this new family member. But unless the family acknowledges Ms Singh’s claims, we can’t act on her objections to ‘Indu Sarkar’.”
‘Indu Sarkar’ promises a high dose of political drama with Kirti Kulhari playing the titular role. She plays a stammering poetess in the film, who rebels against the Emergency, while Neil Nitin Mukesh plays a character which bears an uncanny resemblance to the late politician Sanjay Gandhi. The film also features Anupam Kher and popular Bengali actor Tota Roy Chowdhury in pivotal roles. ‘Indu Sarkar’ is set to release on July 28, but with the latest developments like legal notices and objections, it remains to be seen if the film will keep its date with the theatres or not.
