Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
Vijay Singh
MUMBAI, Oct 27: Bollywood star Bobby Deol was allowed to run a `reel life' relay for his forthcoming film Dillagi on the Mumbai University sports ground after the varsity deftly broke rules for the benefit of the film crew.
In spite of a clear directive of the university management council that the sports ground at Marine Lines cannot be used for any purpose other than sports activities, the athletic tracks were recently rented out to Vijeta Films to shoot a few sequences of their film Dillagi, starring Bobby Deol and Urmila Matondkar.
On October 20, Bobby Deol was seen in a designer sports attire shooting for the film by actually roping in some of the university students as extras for a scene in which Bobby participates in a relay event.
Though the university sources as well as Vijeta Films confirmed that the ground was hired for two consecutive days for shooting, the Vice-Chancellor Dr Snehalata Deshmukh maintained that the stadium was rented for only one day.
``Permission for one daywas granted for the film shooting since it was mainly for a sports event,'' reasoned Dr Deshmukh. She added that no further permission was given when Vijeta Films requested for extending the shooting schedule as the narrow entrance to the stadium was getting ``blocked''.
However, on March 29, 1997, the Management Council had resolved in connection with the controversy surrounding the leasing out of the university sports ground for holding a Dandia programme during Navratri that ``henceforth the Sports Ground be not made available to any other party for other purpose than sports activities''.
But while the VC reasoned that the film scene mainly concerned a sports activity, not many are buying her argument. ``It is ridiculous to call a film shooting as sports event or activity, even if it involves some Bobby Deol running around in a filmi track and field event. Varsity is breaking rules time and again for no rhyme or reason,'' said an irate senate member Amarjit Manhas.
Recalling the MC resolutionin this regard, Manhas informed that Bal Thackeray's brother Ramesh Thackeray had earlier hired the sports ground for the Navratri Festival; but surprisingly the cheque of Rs 3 lakh that was paid by Thackeray to the university had bounced. ``University should have initiated a criminal proceeding against Ramesh Thackeray for the cheque bouncing, but nothing of that sort happened, it was only resolved that in future the ground would not be hired out. And now the resolution breaks again, if not for Thackeray for Bobby Deol,'' said Manhas, who is planning to meet the Chancellor to appraise him of this violation.
Though the VC dodged the question about the payment made to the university by Bobby Deol's unit, sources informed that a total of Rs 40,000 was paid for the two-day shooting.
On the condition of anonymity, a management council member commented: ``The university should not blatantly commercialise its property. Five years ago there was a similar furore over lending the hallowed Rajabai Tower Library fora love interlude from the film 1942 -- A love Story featuring Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala.''
He added that the justification given then was that the film depicted patriotism.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------