'120 Bahadur': Why so sensitive about a name? HC asks
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Chandigarh: The central government has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it will announce its decision within two days on a plea challenging the release of the film '120 Bahadur', starring actor Farhan Akhtar as Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Shaitan Singh Bhatti. The division bench has disposed of a PIL seeking a stay on the release of the film, which depicts the story of the Rezang La battle.
The PIL mainly sought to change the name of the film from '120 Bahadur' to '120 Veer Ahir' to honour the 120 soldiers who participated in the war. The petitioner also sought the inclusion of the names of 114 soldiers who died in the war and six who survived in the film. The court asked why the petitioners were being so sensitive on the issue.
The PIL was filed in the court by the family members of those killed in the battle of Rezang La and the Samyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha.
The petitioners alleged that the film on the 1962 India-China war distorts historical truth by glorifying Major Singh as the sole hero and thereby diminishes the pride of the soldiers who fought alongside Major Singh and died heroically.
Advocate Abhinav Sood, representing the film's producers, Excel Entertainment, argued that the film had been cleared by the Censor Board and the Union Ministry of Defence. He argued that the petition was premature and based only on the trailer.