Punjabi film ‘judged by trailer’, actor Sandhu gets interim bail

Jalandhar: A court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Punjabi actor Jagjeet Singh Sandhu in a case of hurting religious sentiments in the film ‘Oye Bhole Oye’. A Christian representative here has made director Varinder Ramgarhia the other accused. Additional session judge D P Singla posted the matter for March 5. Sandhu and Ramgarhia were booked on Feb 22 on the complaint of United People’s League president Sanawar Bhatti, who accused them of misrepresenting a Christian prayer at the end of their film’s trailer. He accused the censor board of certifying the film without due consideration.In Sandhu’s bail application, his counsel Loveneet Thakur argued the complainant had judged the movie by its trailer and not full content. Submitting the trailer in a pen drive, he argued: “A viewing will reveal the scene’s respectful and non-offensive nature. Both film and its trailer received censor’s clearance, which shows these complied with all regulatory standards.” The counsel said the FIR was registered a day after the complaint was filed without any preliminary investigation or seeking a clarification on a censor-certified film. Sandhu argued: “The alacrity and undue haste in registering the FIR suggests it was driven by political interests or an intent to damage actor’s reputation and curb free speech.”