Court case against 'Azaan' for hurting sentiments

Mumbai: Bollywood movie Azaan, scheduled to be released Friday, has run into rough weather after a Samajwadi Party leader from the city approached the Bombay High Court, saying the film's name hurts Muslim sentiments.

The case was filed after Naeem Akhtar Azmi, the mufti (chief priest) of Sunni Darul-Uloom Mohammediya Minara Masjid, Wednesday issued a 'fatwa' that no film can be named after 'Azaan', the auspicious call to prayers to Muslim faithful.

The 'fatwa' came in response to an open query posed by Mumbai Samajwadi Party vice-president Farookh Ghosi.

Playboy covergirl Candice Boucher will make her Bollywood debut as a sand artist in director Prashant Chadha's 'Aazaan'.
Boucher plays a gorgeous sand artist who comes to the rescue of Aazaan when he is vulnerable and broken.
Aazaan is said to be one of the most expensive films in Bollywood.
Aazaan also marks the debut of entrepreneur turned actor Sachin Joshi.
Aazaan stands in the way of the 'Doctor''s plan to destroy India.
Aazaan is a dedicated army officer in the Reasearch and Analysis Wing of the Indian government.
Sachin is the vice chairman of JMJ Group that is venturing in to film production.
Acclaimed sand artist Alexandra Konofalskaya was flown down from Belarus to train Candice for her role.
Aazaan Khan is half Indian and half Afghan who gets entangled in the murky world of espionage.
'Aazaan' is an international espionage film.
It explores the life of an informant who has to go undercover beyond enemy lines to save the nation from destruction by biological warfare.
Candice Boucher is a South African model.
Aazaan gets drawn into an espionage to find his younger brother who is a suspected terrorist.
She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Fila and Speed, and is currently one of the faces of Intimissimi and Guess Jeans.
Candice said in a press statement that she never imagined herself in a Bollywood film but now she's looking forward to its premiere.
Chadha made his directorial debut with Himesh Reshammiyaa starrer 'Aap Ka Surroor'.
The international action company Action Concept is been given the work to direct the action stunts.
The climax of the film was shot in Chechnya, Russia.
Chadha said Candice has a certain vulnerability that makes her appealing for the role.
She appeared in a pictorial and on the cover of the April 2010 issue of Playboy magazine.
Magazines Candice has modelled for include FHM, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated and Elle.
Oscar winning cinematographer Alix Fischer was called for cinematography of the film.
The music for the film is given by the duo of Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant and is under Xtreme Music label.
The first look of Aazaan was unveiled at Festival De Cannes, 2011 and received an overwhelming response.
Filming took place at Morocco, Sudan, Algeria, Poland, France, Germany and India.
Arya Babbar plays Imaad, is misled but passionate man.
Ravi Kissen plays Pandey, a controversial RAW officer while Sajid Hassan plays 'Doctor' an ex-CIA agent who is into biological warfare.

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$Court case against \'Azaan\' for hurting sentiments$

A still from the movie Azaan

"Following the fatwa, I have filed a writ petition in the high court seeking the court's directions to file an FIR (first information report) against the movie producers, director and actors for abusing and exploiting the holy name of 'azaan' for commercial gains, which has hurt Muslim sentiments," Ghosi told IANS.

The petitioner has also demanded a stay on the global release of the film Friday and a ban on the movie till the producers change its name.

The petition is expected to come up for hearing in a day or so, and Ghosi said he has written to the state government seeking its urgent intervention in the matter.

"If the state government fails to respond within the next 24 hours, over 10,000 Muslims along with muftis and maulanas shall stage demonstrations after the Friday afternoon namaaz all over Mumbai," Ghosi warned.