The Allahabad High Court on Thursday declined to put a stay on the release of Mirzapur: The Movie, which is scheduled to arrive in theatres today, and postponed the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a stay by four weeks. The petition was filed by Lucknow-based lawyer Shalu Pandey, who alleged that the film contains objectionable references to Mirzapur, excessive violence and obscene material.
A day before the film’s theatrical release, the petitioner sought interim relief to halt its release, trailers and promotional activities. The plea also called for allegedly derogatory references to Mirzapur, explicit violence and obscene content to be removed from the film before it reached theatres.
Pandey, who is a lawyer, argued that the earlier OTT seasons of Mirzapur featured extreme profanity, sexual content and graphic violence, which she claimed violated several provisions of the IT Act. She also alleged that Mirzapur district had been subjected to territorial defamation and that the series contributed to stereotyping Uttar Pradesh.
The petition further stated that Mirzapur has a global identity because of Vindhyavasini Dham, a Shakti Peeth, as well as its GI-tagged carpet and brass handicrafts. According to the plea, portraying the region primarily through organised criminality has caused significant psychological humiliation among local residents.
The petition also claimed that the movie contains scenes involving abuse, sexuality and other objectionable elements that could have a harmful impact on society, making judicial intervention necessary.
However, the High Court noted that the respondents had not been properly served with notice by the petitioner. Advocates Jay K. Bhardwaj, Pratibha Rawat and Imran, representing Excel Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the production and distribution company owned by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, received notice of the PIL only on Thursday evening, just hours before the film was due to release.
In view of the late service of notice, the court deferred the PIL hearing by four weeks and declined to impose any stay on the theatrical release of Mirzapur: The Movie.
