Court stays release of Gulaab Gang

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stayed release of Madhuri Dixit-Juhi Chawla starrer Gulaab Gang in India after the activist Sampat Pal Devi, the original founder of Gulabi Gang, raised objections on the content of the movie.

Gulaab Gang is reportedly based on the life of Sampat Pal Devi, who leads a group of pink sari clad women activists in Uttar Pradesh. Sampat Pal accused the filmmakers of not taking her permission prior shooting of the film and it may cause ‘irreparable damage’ to her image.

“It’s a personal victory for me, my faith in the country’s legal system has been restored.” When asked if the move was driven by the prospect of a monetary settlement, she retorted, “My reputation is at stake. Right now I’m very happy with the judgement. For anything else, please talk to my lawyer,” Sampat Pal Devi told a daily.

“How can anybody dethrone me from a gang that I’ve created? I am, and will remain, not only the commander, but the international commander of Gulabi Gang,” Sampat Pal added.

“We had sent a notice to the makers of Gulaab Gang’s in June 2013 asking them to refrain from going ahead without our consent. For the next 10 months we sent them imnumerable reminders, but they chose to reply only on February 4, saying that the film bears no semblance to Sampat Pal Devi’s life,” Pal’s lawyer, Kush Sharma told ToI.

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