Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film, "Raees" has hit yet another roadblock! The film has been dragged into a legal battle after its makers and cast members received a legal notice from Mustak Ahmed Abdul Latif Shaikh, son of late Abdul Latif.
The film, directed by Rahul Dholakia, features SRK in the titular lead role, which is inspired loosely by Abdul Latif, an alleged gangster who started off as a small-time bootlegger and went on to run an illegal liquor operation in Gujarat in the 1990s. Abdul Latif has more than 40 murder cases filed against him.
Shaikh has now sent legal notices to nine individuals associated with the film, including King Khan, Nawazzuddin Siddiqui, producer Ritesh Sidhwani and Dholakia, asking for an explanation about how and why a film is being made on his father's life.
The cease-and-desist notice has urged them to stop "screening, promoting, releasing, publicising, advertising and exploiting the Hindi film titled Raees." The notice further states that Latif was "a famous businessman with deep roots in society" and the film might depict him in a negative light and therefore the team owes his son an explanation.
The set of SRK's house in the film, installed at Film City, was also apparently an exact imitation of Latif's residence. The film has been plagued with obstacles recently with members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protesting against the film's shooting in Gujarat. The right-wing Hindu nationalists even hurled stones at the actor's car over his earlier remarks on "intolerance."
Earlier this month, the film's shooting was scheduled to take place at Sarkhej Roza, an ancient mosque and tomb complex in Ahmedabad, but the filming was disrupted by the the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) as the unit did not have the necessary permits to shoot on site.
If that wasn't enough, Shiv Sena called for a ban of Pakistani artists on Maharashtra soil last year and even threatened "Raees'" leading lady, Mahira Khan, to keep her from promoting the film in the state. However, the Pakistani actress and SRK were spotted filming in Mumbai a couple of days ago amidst tight security.
Watch the teaser trailer for "Raees" below:
