Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday imposed a six-month ban on a movie built on garment worker Reshma, who was rescued alive and miraculously from the ruins of the Rana Plaza on the 17th day of its collapse in 2013.
The court imposed the ban, as the movie, which name ‘Rana Plaza’, was made ignoring the guidelines set by the court earlier.
An HC bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam passed the order following a petition filed by President of Bangladesh National Garments Workers Employees League Sirajul Islam Rony. The HC bench also stayed clearance of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board for the movie. It also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the clearance for the movie would not be declared illegal. The Information Secretary, Chairman of the Bangladesh Films Censor Board and other concerned have been made respondents to the rule, returnable within the next four weeks.
Barrister Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh stood for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Md Mokhlesur Rahman represented the state. Mokhlesur Rahman said, the HC has issued the restriction, as the authorities concerned of the movie have not carried out the court’s guidelines. The HC on July 17 in a judgment directed the authorities concerned to delete some scenes from the movie which are detrimental to public sentiment, he added. It was said in the petition that if the ‘Rana Plaza movie’ is broadcasted and exhibited containing the objectionable scenes, adverse reaction would be created in the mind of people at home and abroad.
Petitioner Sirajul Islam Rony said that the Censor Board did not follow the HC guidelines other than cut few minutes’ scenes from the movie. If the movie is released, the garment workers will be discouraged to work and the generalised system of preferences (GSP) will be hampered, he added. The 137-minute film, produced by Shamim Akhter and directed by Nazrul Islam Khan, was scheduled to be released on September 4. It got clearance of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board on July 16, after a long delay due to objections over some scenes.
According to Bangladesh Censorship of Films Rules in 1977, horrifying scenes, use of TV footage, names of law enforcement agencies are banned. The petitioner cited these reasons. On April 24 in 2013, the nine-storied Rana Plaza building collapsed, killing at least 1,135 people, mostly garment workers, and injuring many others. Rescuers retrieved 19-year-old Reshma after 17 days of the incident.
