Prakash Jha reacts to High Court's stay on Aarakshan release

Reacting to the Madras High Court order to put Aarakshan release on hold till an amount of Rs 3.71 crore borrowed by the producer is returned to the financiers, director Prakash Jha said the cheque bouncing issue has nothing to do with the film.

"Prakash Jha Productions is the sole rights-holder of Aarakshan. All rights and authority regarding the business of Aarakshan are vested with Prakash Jha Productions. The cheque-bouncing issue is between Feroze A. Nadiadwala and Sushil Gupta. It has nothing to do with Aarakshan. Nadiadwala is sorting it out. Aarakshan will release worldwide on August 12 as per schedule," Jha informed, after the court ruling.

Aarakshan directed and produced by Jha, stars Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Prateik Babbar and Manoj Bajpayee in the leading roles. The film has been facing a lot of opposition since the release of its tailor. National Commission for Scheduled Castes alleges that Aarakshan is anti-dalit and thus will affect the peace of the society. Some political leaders have also expressed their reservation over the subject of the movie.

The Madras High Court yesterday had put a stay in the release of Aarakshan which has been co-produced by Prakash Jha and Firoz A Nadiadwala. The court ordered that the film will not release till the dues worth Rs 3.71 crore are not paid to the financiers.