Bombay High Court delays release of Annu Kapoor's 'Hamare Baarah' to June 14 amid controversy

Annu Kapoor's latest film Hamare Baarah has ignited significant discussion, resulting in the Bombay High Court's vacation bench addressing a petition about its release. The court has now postponed the movie's release to June 14.

As reported by the Free Press Journal, the Bombay High Court has delayed the release of Hamare Baarah until June 14, 2024. Originally set for a June 7 release, the decision followed a petition by Azhar Tambol, who raised objections to certain dialogues in the film's trailers on social media. The Central Bureau of Film Certification (CBFC) clarified to the court that while it certified the movie, it had no control over the trailers available on YouTube.

Advocate Advait Sethna, representing the petitioner, explained that the film had been rigorously reviewed by an eight-member committee, which recommended specific changes. 

After these changes were made, the movie was granted a U/A certification. Sethna also noted that the contentious dialogue had been removed from the film. However, the court questioned how the petitioner had seen the deleted dialogues and pointed out that the CBFC does not regulate online trailers.

The judges expressed skepticism about the petitioner's standing to file the case and were concerned about setting a precedent where citizens could easily block movie releases. The petitioner's lawyer mentioned that they had notified the filmmakers about the petition, but no one represented them at the hearing.

As a result, the court postponed the film's release by a week and directed the CBFC to file its response. The next hearing on the matter is set for June 10. Additionally, on May 24, the filmmakers and crew reported to Versova Police Station that they had received ongoing death and rape threats via social media from unidentified sources.