Hansal Mehta, Bhushan Kumar asked to appear before Delhi HC in connection with their film Faraaz

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta and producer Bhushan Kumar have been asked by the Delhi High Court to appear on October 28, in connection with their upcoming film, Faraaz.

The families of two victims, Tarishi Jain and Abinta Kabir, who died in the 2016 Dhaka terrorist attack, have filed a suit against the makers. Yatin Grover, who is representing them, says the film’s name is the same as the two girls’ best friend, Faraaz.

“He was also a victim of the attack. Hansal and others are making a film on the attack, and they have named it Faraaz. We sent a legal notice to them, as we have apprehension that they are going to portray our clients’ daughters as well, and they have not taken any consent. This is an infringement on the right to privacy,” he tells us.

Grover further adds that the makers’ reply was “very vague”. He elaborates, “They said whatever they are going to do, is in public domain. They are going to take the material from there, this and that. Hence, we approached the court, and they listened to our arguments, went through the documents they have. The filmmakers have not given out the date of release or come out with the trailer, we didn’t ask for injunction. We have asked for a special screening, so we know nothing is portrayed wrong. We have reserved our rights, sought prayers to completely injunct the film, to not use the name Faraaz because that is closely connected with our daughters’ lives.”

He also reveals that the defendants (the makers of the film) are contradicting themselves. He points out to interviews given by them previously where they said their film was based on true events, and in their reply to the notice, they said it was a fictionalised version of the attack and has nothing to do with the girls.

“Again, no specifics given as to what all they are and not going to show. Public domain has a wide coverage, that was not in our control. But making a film without our consent, of course we strongly object to it,” says Grover.

Our attempts to reach Hansal for a comment weren’t met with a response at the time of going to press.