Salman Khan's 'Bharat' in trouble? PIL in Delhi HC filed seeking title change

A Public Interest Litigation was filed in Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking a change of the title of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's upcoming movie 'Bharat'.

According to the petitioner, Vikas Tyagi, the movie is "distorting the culture and political image of our great country 'Bharat'."

In his plea, Tyagi had contended that the title of the film is in violation of Section 3 of Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, according to which the word 'Bharat' cannot be used for the commercial purpose.

He has also sought change in one of the dialogues of the film where the character has been compared to the country, contending that it hurts the patriotic sentiments of the people of the country.

"This film is fraught with Salman's typical flippancy and vulgarity. Being a 'Bharatiya', I feel it is not appropriate to name such film or any character associated with this film after our great nation," Tyagi said.

'Bharat' which also stars Disha Patani, Tabu, Jackie Shroff, Aasif Sheikh, and Sonali Kulkarni ​​​, is all set to hit the theatres on June 5, 2019. As per media reports, it is an official adaptation of Korean film 'An Ode To My Father'.

Set in the backdrop of Indian Independence, the film portrays the journey of a man named 'Bharat', played by Salman, in parallel with the journey of the country towards independence. With a tagline that reads: 'the journey of a man and a country together', the film features the actor in five different looks according to his age and profession as it follows his life from 1964 to 2010.

Director Ali Abbas Zafar had previously revealed that it is set in the backdrop of partition and the consequent refugee camps and said that it will feature one of the most traumatic times that the state has faced and will span from the 1960s to 1990s, after which it will move to current times. It has a tagline that reads: 'Journey of a man and a nation together'. The film is backed by Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar's T-Series and Salman Khan.

The movie, which also stars Katrina Kaif, is slated for a release on June 5.