Mumbai : The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed two petitions and disposed of one filed against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, scheduled to be released across 3,500 theatre screens in India and 1,000 screens overseas on Friday.

The petitions dismissed — filed by Kamathipura MLA Amin Patel and local resident Shraddha Surve (37) — were against the use of the words ‘Kamathipura’ and ‘Kathiawadi’ in the movie.

Patel’s counsel Dhruti Kapadia, at the hearing before bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik, said the sentiments of local residents were hurt as a trailer suggests that the entire Kamathipura area is a red-light district and sought a proper disclaimer. The petition filed by Surve, a homemaker, argued by counsel Yogesh Naidu, said the trailer was released on social media on February 4 and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and Bhansali Productions have “neglected” to rename Kamathipura, where some part of the movie was shot, and have shown “disrespect towards the area and its residents”.

The HC took exception to the petitions being filed at the last minute and that no one had raised any objections to the CBFC certificate. “Can’t expect the court to go out of its way and grant relief. Just because we are not strict about procedure in PILs, doesn’t mean challenges will not be laid. We will be drastically reducing the weight of the certificate [if relief is granted despite no challenge to it],” the bench observed orally, while dismissing the two petitions.

The high court said that a detailed order will be made available later.

A petition filed by Hiten Mehta was disposed of after the bench was informed that it was based on a wrong notion. Advocate Ashok Saraogi, appearing for Mehta, argued that in one scene the main character goes to a dentist and the dialogue mentions “China”. Senior counsel Ravi Kadam, representing the filmmakers, explained that the area shown in the movie actually has Chinese dentists.

Presenting his arguments against the other two petitions, Kadam said: “The movie is to depict what was Kamathipura in the 1950s, not to denigrate an area.”

Additional solicitor general Anil Singh, for CBFC, said the petition be dismissed as the trailer was released on February 4 and challenged at the last minute.