Sarabjit biopic courts another controversy

GS Paul

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 16

The underproduction Bollywood film on the life and struggle of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who was brutally murdered in Pakistan’s Kot Lakhpath jail in 2013, may run into rough weather.

A Ludhiana-based woman, Baljinder Kaur, claiming to be the biological sister of Sarabjit, has sent a legal notice to actress Aishwarya Rai Bachhan and director Umang Kumar for “misrepresenting” facts in the film.

Baljinder Kaur alleged that Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit’s “real sister”, never shared any blood relation with the family. She said she was ready to undergo a DNA test.

She produced documents to establish that Swapandeep Kaur, who was awarded Class 1 government job on compassionate grounds, was the daughter of Dalbir Kaur and Baldev Singh. “We had also challenged Swapandeep’s claim, but no cognisance was taken,” she said.

When contacted, Dalbir Kaur got agitated and preferred to reserve her comments over the issue.

Baljinder Kaur along with Harbhajan Singh, claiming to be Sarabjit’s younger brother, said despite legal notice served upon the film crew, the movie was still being shot in Amritsar. “We had filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the authenticity of the film’s script. Both Aishwarya Rai and Umang Kumar were served legal notice, but they didn’t bother and continued to shoot the film. We have now decided to lodge our protest at the shooting locations besides fighting the legal battle. We may file a defamation suit against them,” Baljinder Kaur said.