NEW DELHI: ‘A Wedding Gift‘ is a film that dares to question Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code to show how it can be misused by anyone to file a false dowry case.
Made under the banner of Aliya Productions, the film is expected to be released next month. The music has been composed by Ray & Brotherhood.
Veteran actor Farida Jalal told indiantelevision.com that she had agreed to act in the film ‘498A – A Wedding Gift’ when its producer-director Suhaib Ilyasi related a brief synopsis, because she felt this was a malaise that should be highlighted.
Made on a modest budget of Rs 50 million, the film also stars Alok Nath, Sushma Seth, Reema Lagoo, Colgate Ad boy Harsh Nagar, Supriya Karnik, Deepak Tijori, and the new face from Delhi Shrishti Gautam, apart from a look-alike of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - Gurmeet Singh, a 65-year-old Jangpura resident who said he is often asked to pose for photos as he looks like Dr Singh.
Veteran ghazal singer Ghulam Ali has rendered a patriotic song and has also acted in the film. "What is so surprising in this? I found the wordings of the song beautiful, music touched me and hence I agreed to sing. This song in any case can be for any country. It’s a song dedicated to one’s own watan. When I was asked to perform on screen, I was initially skeptical but later got into the spirit of it".
‘And why not," he asked, adding, "India and Pakistan were one country. There were two brothers till siyasat played its dirty game by separating them and creating a siyasi border in 1947."
Ilyasi, who had earlier gained fame as the maker of India’s first crime show that exposed real criminals, ‘India’s Most Wanted’ on Doordarshan leading to many arrests, appeared before the Committee of Petitions of the Rajya Sabha go give for his views on Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code.
Ilyasi was asked to give suggestions since his film deals with the freedom that this section gives for any woman or her kin to file false cases against a husband or his family.
The Committee is examining amendments in Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Parliament is considering amending the law after having received numerous complaints from the civil society about misuse of the same.
