The Tashkent Files:Lal Bahadur Shastri's grandson sends legal notice to Vivek Agnihotri
Posters of 'The Tashkent Files'.
Two days before its theatrical release, Vivek Agnihotri's new film 'The Tashkent Files' has landed in trouble over its content. Based on former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri's death, the film attempts to delve deeper into the cause of his death at Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1966 hours after the signing the Tashkent Declaration.
Shastri's grandson Vibhakar Shahstri has appealed for a stay order on the release of the film alleging that the film is an 'attempt to create unwarranted and unnecessary controversy.' The film is scheduled to release on 12th April.
A notice that has been sent to Agnihorti reads,"It is understood that an attempt has been made to create unwarranted and unnecessary controversy, propaganda surrounding the death of Late Lal Bahadur Shastri, former PM of India who had died a natural death and which has been successful to an extent post the release of the trailer of the film."
While speaking to a news channel, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, stated that Shastri was coerced by the "top family of the Congress party" to stop the release of the film.
"It's been happening for quite some time. They have been bullying me and threatening me on social media, and I have also taken help from the Maharashtra government. Yesterday, I received a legal notice from senior Congress member Vibhakar Shastri, who also happens to be the grandson of Lal Bahadur Shastri, to stop the movie saying that whatever is shown in the movie is not true," Vivek said.
"I have heard from the horse's mouth that he has been coerced by the top family of the Congress party to serve it on me because if they serve it doesn't look correct for them, which will make them look like a guilty party. This is despite that he came for the screening of the movie," he added.
The filmmaker claims that Vibhakar Shastri had praised the film when he had watched it in Delhi on 7th April and later got influenced by members of the Congress party to send a legal notice.
'The Tashkent Files' features Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Mandira Bedi and Pallavi Joshi in the lead roles.