PIL hearing of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film on Kashmir in J&K High Court today
MUMBAI MIRROR (February 7, 2020)

Amid reports of a stay on the release of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s directorial Shikara, the filmmaker’s production company, on Thursday, tweeted that it will hit the screens today as planned.The film is set against the backdrop of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from the Kashmir Valley in late 1989 and early 1990, in the wake of Islamist insurgency. “Update reg. PIL against #Shikara — The Hon. J&K HC has directed to issue notice to parties in matter to make respective representations. The matter is placed on point of admission on 07.02.2020. No direction to stop screening has been passed. The film releases on 7th Feb,” Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films posted on Twitter.

The development comes after the J&K High Court listed on Friday the hearing on a PIL against Shikara. “In view of the averments made in the petition and the relief claimed, we feel that there is a real urgency involved in the matter and that the response of the official respondents should be obtained in the context of the interim relief prayed for by the petitioners,” the court order reads.

The petitioners have prayed that the respondents may be directed to withhold the film’s release till it is reviewed/scrutinised, censored by the appropriate authorities; to edit/remove the “communal, inflammatory and frivolous content”.