Lajja runs into troubled waters

new delhi: despite a chennai court staying the release of rajkumar santoshi's multi-starrer lajja in india and abroad till september 3, the film was screened in the capital's theatres on friday. the court had stayed the screening on friday as santoshi had "failed" to repay loan commitments to the tune of rs 1.5 crore to several chennai-based companies.assistant judge of the chennai civil court, a k annamalai observed that if the debtor was allowed to release the film without settling the dues, it could cause problems for the creditors. on his part, santoshi told the times of india: "nobody corresponded with me regarding this matter all this while. one fine day, you cannot wake up and make such a claim. they asked me for rs 17 lakh which was cleared. if there were any more dues, why did they have to wait for the last minute? it's all pressure tactics to jeopardise the films prospects." he said the court order would be challenged. but, captain kala of the chennai-based gemini industries and imaging limited, one of the companies that filed the case, said: "a court notice has been sent to distributors, theatre owners, and satellite television operators, stating that prints of lajja will be seized, if they defy the order. it will be regarded as contempt of court and they would have to face the consequences." however, theatre officials and the movie's distributor in delhi claimed they did not know about the stay order. "i have neither seen the order nor have i received the same. the screening in delhi will not be stopped," ginny chaddha, partner of ginny arts which is the sole distributor of lajja in delhi, up and uttranchal, said. an official at alpna cinema said that regular shows of lajja were screened on friday. "we have heard the news on a tv channel and we can't stop screening on the basis of that alone. we must get the order in writing," he said, adding all the movie halls in the capital which were scheduled to screen the movie were doing that. another theatre official said: "it is difficult to stop the screening of a movie after it is released. had the order come before the release, then it could have been implemented. it perhaps for the first time that a movie's screening has been asked to stop after the film's release." the film has already been released in many parts of bihar, mumbai, bangalore and central india and the distributors are going ahead with the screening.