Obscenity charge filed against Bollywood stars
Last Updated: Sunday, December 3, 2006 | 12:07 PM ET
CBC Arts
Related
Internal Links
A lawyer in India has filed an obscenity charge against actors Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan because of a scene in the movie Dhoom 2.
Shailendra Dwivedi filed the petition this week in the central town of Indore. A local court accepted Dwivedi's request to punish the actors and said it would hear the petitioner on Dec. 11.
Dwivedi said a scene from the movie Dhoom 2 lowered the dignity of Indian women and had an obscene message.
"Bollywood actors are conveying vulgarity in the society," said Dwivedi. "These films cannot be watched with our families, they are so vulgar at times."
Bollywood is the name given to India's fertile movie industry based in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. More than 800 films are produced every year.
The Indian censor board, which certifies all films, released the movie with a "parental discretion" certificate.
The details of the scene were not revealed but intimacy in public is often frowned upon in India.
Dhoom 2, released Nov. 24, is a sequel to the 2004 film Dhoom.
The movie concerns a master thief (Roshan) who encounters a woman, played by Rai, claiming she wants to team up with him and learn his "trade." The police and robbers caper broke opening records in several Indian cities.
Rai, a former Miss World, may be best known to Western audiences as the female lead in Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood-style retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Share Tools
- Romance onscreen for Valentine's Dayby Arts Online Feb. 14, 2012 3:51 PM The Notebook versus Out of Sight. High Fidelity versus The Family Man. On a day devoted to strong emotions, it seems appropriate to passionately debate about the best cinematic love stories. CBC film critic Eli Glasner faces off against arts producer Ilana Banks about the top movies with which to woo your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. And they ask: What's your favourite romantic movie?
Top News Headlines
- Air Canada confident it can reach deal with pilots
- Travellers flying Air Canada can keep booking their flights as negotiations continue with a new federally appointed mediator to help resolve an ongoing contract dispute between the airline and its pilots. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Four former B.C. attorneys general are joining a coalition of health and justice experts calling for the legalization of marijuana. more »
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- CN blamed for fatal train derailment in Illinois
- CN is being blamed for a 2009 train derailment in Illinois, in which several cars went off the tracks and caught fire, killing one person and injuring seven others. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- Prospective WSO maestros unveiled
- The Windsor Symphony Orchestra unveiled a shortlist of prospective music directors on Tuesday, and the public will have a hand in selecting the finalist. more »
- Booksellers blame U.S.-Canada price gap on old rules
- There's an easy way to help lower Canadian book prices, representatives from the industry told a Senate committee: eliminate a rule that allows U.S. publishers to charge more for books sent to Canada. more »
- Famed romance began with exchange of letters
- The 573 love letters exchanged between Elizabeth Barrett and her future husband, fellow poet Robert Browning, are now viewable online. more »
Q Blog
The great monogamy debate Feb. 14, 2012 3:42 PM Is it time to start taking alternatives to monogamy seriously in our culture? Listen in to the Q debate and let us know what you think.
CBC Books
- Choosing a Valentine's Day gift for the book lover in your life Feb. 14, 2012 4:51 PM CBC Books' Erin Balser and her partner, Matt Elliott, on the challenge of giving your sweetheart a book for Valentine's Day.
- Online surveillance critics accused of supporting child porn
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- HMCS Corner Brook collision damage extensive
- Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews
- Mooning Queen proves costly for Australian man
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- MacKay says submarine fleet has 'spotty' history
- Man kidnapped at Greyhound station escapes captors
- Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop


