High Court bans 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela' in UP

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Allahabad High Court today banned director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic saga "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela" in Uttar Pradesh.

The Lucknow bench of the court comprising justices Devi Prasad Singh and Ashok Pal Singh passed the order to ban the film on a petition filed by Maryada Purshottam Bhagwan Ramleela Samiti, Bahraich.

The petitioner had prayed for cancellation of Censor Board certification given to the film on November 1 and sought that controversial and objectionable dialogues be removed from the film.

The film starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh was released on November 15.

The petition had contended that the film was hurting religious sentiments of Hindus and its title 'Ramleela' was giving a wrong message to society as Lord Ram's 'leela' (act) had great impact on Indian society.

Besides, Centre, state government, Central Film Certification Board, UP



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Ram-Leela hit in box office crosses Rs 52 crore in weekend

Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is inching close to Rs 100 crore at a good pace. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie has minted over Rs 52 crore in its opening weekend, and trade pundits believe it will sustain good business in the coming weeks too.

The Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh-starrer, co-produced by Bhansali and Eros International Media Ltd., released on November 15 in over 3,500 screens. It earned Rs 16 crore on its opening day at ticket counters in the domestic market.

It went on to make Rs 17.25 crore on the second day of its release and raked in Rs 19.50 crore on the third day, read a statement from Eros International Media Ltd, which has also distributed the movie.

The film is said to be the fifth biggest opener of 2013, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh. The biggest opener so far this year has been Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika's Chennai Express.

"Ram-leela is fifth biggest opener of 2013...Deepika's third biggest opener... Ranveer's biggest opener," Adarsh posted on Twitter.

The film's high points are the sizzling chemistry between Deepika and Ranveer, a scintillating dance number by Priyanka Chopra, strong content with a colourful Gujarati backdrop and Bhansali's impeccable direction.

Ram-Leela has garnered positive reviews from the film fraternity as well.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: "Ram-Leela! The genius of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the passion of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, the guile of Supriya Pathak and the rawness of Richa Chadha."

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Ram-Leela Movie trouble again

The Bombay High court has ordered Mr Bhansali, the Censor Board, distributors Eros International, and producer Kishore Lulla to file affidavits in court to explain why and how the film was granted a certificate for exhibition.

An organization called Maharashtra Ram Leela Mandal has objected to the title of the film. They claim that the film portrays violence and sex and that the name Ram Leela, which is associated with the life of Lord Rama, hurts religious sentiment.

The makers and distributors of the film claim they have followed all the guidelines under the Cinematograph act but the petitioner, Sandeep Shukla claims they have not. The case will be heard next on 27th November.

The film released across India on November 15, 2013, under the title Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, after a stay order by the Delhi High Court was lifted.

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Deepika Says "I wore my gym shoes and danced"

Deepika Padukone in a recent promotional event shared with the media what all problems she faced while working for Ram-Leela. 

The actress, who has been doing girl-next-door types of roles till now, has finally tried her hands on something new with 'Chennai Express' and 'Ram-Leela' and people have even welcomed her in her new avatar.

She confessed to the media that it has been a very special film of her career and more than anything else it has been an emotional journey for her. Says the actress, "I completely enjoyed myself during the rehearsal sessions and I felt that I was ready for the shoot. But I didn't realize that I didn't rehearse in full costume. It was only when we started shooting for the first song 'Lahu Munh Lag Gaya', that I realized my mistake."

Deepika goes on adding, "Although the song looks like a very easy one with smooth dancing moves, it wasn't that easy to shoot. The massive earrings that I had to wear while dancing completely stretched my earlobes. Then we had to use glue tag and tape them up as I could not wear the earrings anymore."

"The skin under my feet started coming out and I continued dancing wearing cotton padding under my feet. Also, in some of the close-up shots, where my feet were not visible, I wore my gym shoes and danced," the actress shared.

Deepika Padukone is quite excited to see the response the film gets and hopes that the audience can see the efforts that have been put into making this movie.

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Ram-Leela Movie Reviews ***

There’s a lot of everything in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela, almost to a fault. At two hours and 40 minutes, with a song every five minutes, the film seems like bonded labour on paper. And yet, the seemingly countless songs and gigantic running time are not enough to extinguish the fun found here and it still winds up as a smart, funny, frequently exciting love story that is packed with strong performances, solid direction, several colourful characters, and best of all, some tremendous lines. Bhansali’s earlier films have delivered two or three half-hearted attempts at a tragic romance, only to follow the poignant moments up with aimless, wandering plots, set gazing and cheesy acting. Ram Leela, on the other hand, has intensity, fire and energy in every single scene. It’s also laden with a few surprisingly powerful plot contortions that you probably won’t see coming.

Ram Leela has the soul of a cynical old noir peppered with a few small glimmers of masala. We all know the story by now. Borrowing a few pages from Shakespeare’s play and more so from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, this movie is the epitome of formula. The setting is a crazy ‘Bhansalized’, fantastical trigger happy version of a place in Rajasthan-Gujarat, where a guy and a girl from two rival, constantly-clashing mob gangs fall for each other while the others are spraying bullets and shedding blood. Therein lies the simple appeal of the film, but Bhansali subverts your expectations with some unexpected twists and even a shrewd political turn that makes the film a compelling watch. It helps that the leads Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have terrific chemistry to complement Bhansali’s frenetic direction and the truly gorgeous set pieces. There are many terrific moments strewn throughout Ram Leela, like the ‘Aankhon ki gustkhiyan’ style sequence between the two leads and Bhansali’s rendition of the famous balcony scene. But the reason his movie works is because it’s a lot more than the sum of a few fantastic parts. Even in the opening sequence during which a shootout breaks out, Bhansali finds the faint line between arthouse, commercial and populist. It’s evident that even he’s tired of an industry that’s becoming more and more standardised and heartless with every passing year. He brings a lot more style and passion to a film that, in the hands of a less accomplished commercial Bollywood director, would be a hollow mess. A scene where a bunch of hoodlums pull out their guns and start shooting bottles has the comic irreverence you generally expect in a Vishal Bharadwaj movie, and it offers a glimpse of how commercial Bollywood cinema is capable of tipping the scales, just a bit, in a new direction. Sure there are a few things the film could’ve done without, like three to four songs, and Raza Murad’s hammy cameo, but there are enough goodies in the film (especially the dialogues) to make you overlook the rough spots. The direction, outstanding production design, gorgeous cinematography are supported by a surprisingly strong cast, and Padukone is a wild-eyed anchor in a sea of formula. Three years ago you’d never have expected her to improve so drastically and command the kind of energy she does now. Ranveer, on the other hand, is a weak link. It’s a whole different movie whenever he isn’t in a scene. It’s not that he doesn’t try, but that he tries too hard to chew scenery and he just doesn’t have the effortless charm of someone like Ranbir Kapoor. Their co-stars do a fine job of bringing the typical stereotypes to life – Gulshan Deviah, Richa Chadda, Abhimanyu Singh, Sharad Kelkar each have their own moments and at least a semblance of wit and colour. But Supriya Pathak as a god-fearing matriarchal mob boss is awesome here, with a rascally twinkle that intermittently threatens to turn villainous. Watch the scene early on in the film where she shouts at her fumbling masseuse and you’ll know that she should do more movies. By the time Ram Leela winds down with a finale that would make Luhrmann proud, Bhansali does a pretty good job of winning his intended audience over. It would have been so easy for the film to wallow in opportunistic schmaltz or obvious sentimentality but instead Ram Leela is a slyly fun movie, and one that is best appreciated on big screens.

Ram Leela has oodles of 'oomph' quotient, thanks to our very own Deepika! The film features kissing scenes in plenty! The dialogues can seem a bit 'shocking' and 'bold' for a few as it has double entendre. Admittedly, the movie's writing loses a good deal of steam in the second half, but picks up pace in its final hour. Ranveer-Deepika's visceral chemistry requires a special mention, that sets the screen ablaze.

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Bombay High Court refuses to stay release of Ram Leela

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on a petition which claims that the title of his forthcoming film Ram Leela "hurts Hindu sentiments" but declined to stay the release of the movie scheduled for November 15.

A division bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and M.S. Sonak, however, refused to stay the release of the film saying if there was any merit in the petition then an appropriate order can be passed later.

The court also issued notices to co-producer Kishore Lulla, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Ministry and Information and Broadcasting, distribution rights holder Eros International and Maharashtra government.

Petitioner Sandeep Shukla is a member of Congress and vice president of Shree Maharashtra Ramleela Mandal which organises Ramleela performance -- based on the epic -- every year during Navratri in the city.

His lawyer A.P. Panday argued the name of the film suggested it had something to do with Lord Ram of Ramayana.

However, the film had nothing to do with Lord Ram and the promos and posters of the film "hurt sentiments of Hindus" as they contained "vulgar, rude, offensive dialogue" and "objectionable scenes which degrade the religious feelings".

When one hears the song from the film 'Ramji ki chaal', the image of Lord Ram comes to mind "but the fact is completely different".

To this, Justice Kanade said "image of Lord Ram is embedded in minds (of people) since thousands of years and no one can spoil it."

Advocate Pandey said the petitioner only wanted the name changed. "To justify the name, they have named the lead characters in the movie as Ram and Leela. Even the CBFC has overlooked this fact," Pandey said.

The petition seeks stay to the release but the judges did not entertain this plea, adjourning the hearing to November 18.

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FIR against Bollywood movie 'Ram Leela'

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, actors Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone have moved the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking quashing of the FIR (first-information report) registered against them in Jalandhar. The FIR alleges that the content of their forthcoming movie 'Ram Leela' is highly objectionable and offends religious sentiments of the public believing in Hindu mythology.

The movie is scheduled for release on November 15 and the petition would come up for hearing on Tuesday. An FIR was registered on September 26 at division-3 police station, Jalandhar, on the complaint of Lalit Kumar under Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code. The petitioners have also sought stay on the trial court proceedings during the pendency of the petition in the high court.

The petition, filed through advocate Rohit Sud, mentions that on the basis of the same allegations, a public interest litigation filed by NGO Rashtravadi Shiv Sena earlier before the Delhi high court was dismissed on October 10, being devoid of material, with a cost of Rs. 50,000.

The complainant had submitted that the title of 'Ram Leela', its trailer and photographs were highly objectionable and offended religious sentiments of people believing in Hindu mythology. It had been alleged that the story of the film has nothing to do with the life of Lord Ram.

The petitioners have submitted that the film is inspired by William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'. Ram and Leela, in the present case, refer to the names of the two protagonists and thus the title of the movie is justified. Thus, no offence under section 295-A of the IPC is made out. It has been mentioned that the Central Board of Film Certification has granted the certificate under Cinematography Act to the film and therefore it could not be implied that the petitioners had any intention to hurt religious sentiments of any community or religion.

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Ranveer Singh Flattered and proud Deepika is my Leela

Are they together or are they not? Or is it just an act as B-Town's golden girl Deepika Padukone and her Ram-Leela co-star Ranveer Singh step up the volume as Ram-Leela gets set for release. Poised, the dimpled actress answered that they were in a profession that everything they do, what they wear, what they say, how they perform is analysed.

Being under constant scrutiny, with pictures being leaked, privacy being invaded, Deepika shrugged her shoulders saying, "It's part of the territory, you have to accept it that as public figures your life is public too, you cannot get upset and you have to take it in your stride."

As the Deepika-Ranveer chemistry scorches screens, the actress admits chemistry is intangible - it's either there or not. Post Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani , fans had tripped over her and former beau Ranbir's sizzling chemistry proclaiming them as the next jodi . And now it seems Ranveer is the one Deeply Dippy about Deepika. She says a lot has to do with the director, the scenes and the comfort level with your co-star and she unabashedly admits that she is very much at ease with Ranveer.

The golden girl, who has had a hat-trick of hits, says it was failure which taught her to hone her craft, observe performances and happy at the way things are going, and she has no complaints.

So is she anything like Leela? Bold and passionate, "Well if you need to put me in perspective, I am Naina Talwar of Yeh Jawaani.... She is the character who is totally me and I so resonated with her," admitted Deepika.

Ranveer, who admitted that he was on home ground with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's style of film making, says it is " larger than life and totally over the top and I like that." The actor admitted that he was flattered and proud that Deepika was his Leela. He revealed he had not met a more committed and honest actress who is driven to perfection though he did divulge that his co-star was a cleanliness freak who got most upset if things weren't set angularly. He also admitted Deepika's weakness for children, the leggy lass was most happy when she was surrounds by tots, well not surprising it's the kinder land which is absolutely besotted by the beautiful actress.

Well Ranveer, at the moment it seems be it six or 60 year olds, Deepika indeed is the current queen of hearts.

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'Ram-Leela' title again stirs objection, UP CM urged to help

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was Monday petitioned against the soon-to-be released Bollywood film "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela". In her representation made to Yadav, social activist Urvashi Sharma has urged him to "intervene in the matter related to public exhibition of the film".

Directed and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone starrer "Ram-Leela" is scheduled for Nov 15 release.

"I have urged the chief minister to intervene on behalf of the people of the state and request the producers of the film to delete 'Ram-Leela' from the title of the film and change it to only 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela'," Sharma told IANS.

"And also urge the National Board of Film Certification not grant certificate for public exhibition of the film under Sections 4, 5 and 5-A of the Cinematography Act, 1952, in case producer and director of the film do not delete words 'Ram-Leela' from the title of the film.

"This matter is related to the sentiments of lakhs of people of the state and the word 'Ram-Leela' is contrary to the content of the film as shown in the promotional advertisement," added Sharma.

The petition to the chief minister states that the film "was affecting the sentiments of the public on account of its wrongful title for the reason that the title has been derived from dramatic enactment of the life of Lord Rama, which cannot be used by the kind of film."

Sharma said: "I have watched one of the promos of the film on YouTube and while watching the clip, many objectionable dialogues and scenes were noticed by me which, according to me as a social activist, are not only vulgar, rude, offensive and crude but degrade the religious feeling of the Hindus."

The social activist earlier petitioned both the censor board and the Prime Minister's Office to intervene in this matter.

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali Says, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh are fond of each other

The crackling chemistry on screen between the lead pair of Ram-Leela, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, results from the fact that the two actors are fond of each other and enjoyed doing the film together, says director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Ever since the trailer hit the screens, the chemistry between the two has generated a lot of interest, which Bhansali feels will help the film.

"If in a love story, people are liking the chemistry of the hero and heroine and feeling their love then your love story has more chances of succeeding. The chemistry has come out so well on screen and the credit for it goes to the actors as they have got themselves involved into the plot and got into the skin of the character of being in love," Bhansali told PTI in an interview here.

"Whether there is something between them in real life or not is not my concern as a filmmaker.. I am excited to see them together on screen. They have done a wonderful job as actors. And chemistry is a natural vibe, when two people come together there is a vibe that happens or doesn't happen." According to Bhansali, because the two actors are fond of each other and like to act, they enjoyed doing the film.

However, he feels the focus should be the film. "Actors have their personal fans... it is the audience that has to connect to the film.. that is important. Their chemistry does help the film." In Ram-Leela, Bhansali has tried new things like adding a special song of Priyanka Chopra, a passionate kissing scene between the lead actors etc. "One can't keep making same things again and again otherwise it will be boring for me as well as for the audience. So if you do something unexpected I like it and actors also enjoy it. It is important to reinvent to yourself according to time, thinking should change," he said. He insists he did not add these things to make the film more viable commercially.

"It all depends on how you add such things, how it will suit, how you will present it etc. There is nothing that gurantees... what works at box office and what doesn't. These things are new to me so there is excitement. I have never made a sensual love story and more energetic or had a special song," he added. Right from Khamoshi to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam to Guzaarish and the latest Ram-Leela, Bhansali's films have always brought love and passion on screen. The germ of the idea of Ram-Leela came to him when he was making Khamoshi but Bhansali couldn't take up this project due to financial and other reasons.

"I had thought about it (Ram-Leela) after Khamoshi, this film didn't do that well but got critical acclaim. I did not have enough money then to make a film like Ram-Leela. I made Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam which was set in Gujarat so a Ram-Leela would have appeared repetitive at that time. So, I waited for long time," he said. This film is called as desi adaptation of Romeo Juliet and is set in Gujarat. "I am Gujarati at heart I love Gujarat's music, culture and food and I want to take all this back to the people," he added.

The film is special and important to Bhansali and has dedicated it to his mother, whose name he has adopted as his middle name. Releasing on November 15, Bhansali is happy with the response Ram-Leela is getting. "People have liked the promo, songs, love story of Ranveer and Deepika. They are expecting a good love story and they should expect it. The scale is big, it is a colorful film... I am expecting people will like the film," he added.

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Complaint filed against Ram Leela for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments

After getting embroiled into controversy earlier for different reasons, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ambitious film ‘Ram Leela’ is in news for the wrong reasons once again.

On November 7, a resident of Patna filed a plea in a local court demanding a ban on the release of the film. The reason cited by the complainant, Amit Arya, is the depiction of Hindu Gods in “poor taste” in the mujra song ‘Ram Chahe Leela’ performed by Priyanka Chopra.

The complainant has also objected to the title of the film in his appeal. He has also submitted a CD of the film’s trailer to support his plea.

The case was filed in the court of chief judicial magistrate R K Yadav by the complainant’s lawyer Kumar Shankaram, who will hear the plea on November 11.

‘Ram Leela’ is slated for nationwide release on November 15.

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Priyanka Chopra's Ram Leela item number crosses one million hits

Actress Priyanka Chopra seems to be on a roll with her latest Ram-Leela item number Ram Chahe Leela crossing over one million hits in just three days. She says she is overwhelmed by the love and loyalty bestowed upon her by her fans.
Priyanka took to Twitter to thank her fans for liking her new dance number from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie, as well as her international single Exotic.

She is also happy with the viewership of the trailer of her next film Krrish 3, which releases on November 1.

"Milestones..Yesterday 'Exotic sales'! Today 'Ram Chahe Leela' (crosses) one million (hits) in just three days and 'Krrish 3' trailer (crosses) 17 million hits! Woohoo! Thank you all so much," she posted on the microblogging site on Saturday.

Talking about how different Ram Chahe Leela is, she said that she did a mujra in the song, but in a contemporary format.

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Priyanka Chopra's Ram-Leela item song revealed

Priyanka Chopra's much looked for item number in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram-Leela has finally been revealed and it doesn't disappoint. Ram Chahe Leela stars the Zanjeer actress as a nautch girl, gyrating in a white choli and dhoti-style skirt, a tattoo on her exposed rib-cage and a jeweled ring in her belly button.

Watched by an appreciative Ranveer Singh who plays Ram, Priyanka sings: Inka toh funda hai simpla sa yaar, goli maaro toh panga, aankh maaro toh pyaar (a bullet means feud, a wink means love).

Priyanka's sensuous moves are punctuated with shots of Deepika Padukone, who plays the very explosive Leela, wielding a pistol. Ram Chahe Leela is sung by Bhoomi Trivedi with lyrics by Siddharth-Garima and music by Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself, who also composed the music for his 2010 film Guzaarish.

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Ranveer Singh is in love!

Ranveer Singh is the most daring one who never ever shies away from confessing his dark secrets or romantic liaisons (remember his confession on his one-night stands?). Expect nothing but only the juiciest gossip or spiciest news from Ranveer which makes him media’s darling. During an interview to a popular daily, the ‘Ram-Leela’ actor spoke about his new-found love.

Apparently, after being down with the deadly dengue, Ranveer has been bitten by the love bug. "It`s good. It`s rocking. I love being in love. It`s the best feeling in the world. I have never felt like this before. Main aur kuch bolunga nahi as mujhe nazar bahut lagti hai. (I won’t say anything as I get affected by the evil eye very easily). Front page pe meri nangi photo aa gayi, socho mujhe machchar ne kaat diya! But main bahut khush hoon. (My semi-nude picture got published on the front of the newspaper. Just imagine, the mosquito bit me!) And I feel if this is not being in love, then what is? Woh kaun hai nahi bataoonga, but kuch toh hai. (I won’t reveal who the girl is but there is something that I can feel)," said the actor.

The good part is that Ranveer is quite sure about his heart this time. He said, "I feel it is love. Dekhiye mujhe ho gaya hai lovaria." He also went on to gush about his co-actor Deepika Padukone. "Humari Deepikaji ko dekh lo, kya physical appearance hai. Jab aati hain screen pe, aur kuch dikhta hi nahi hai. (Look at Deepika’s physical appearance. Whenever she comes on screen, (I) can’t see anything else). To get attention in the frame, I had to take off my shirt, put in all this energy, change my look, but I used to tell her when we watched the scenes on the monitor that she is so visually stunning that the eye keeps going only to her. I can keep doing whatever hell I want, but when I watch it, I don`t look at myself, I only look at her. She is great and has a good immunity against lovaria as she is usually detached," added the new patient of ‘lovaria’.

Well, if Deepika is really the girl in Ranveer’s life, then we just hope that she reciprocates the feelings in the similar vein.

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