'Santa Banta Pvt. Ltd.' doesn't hurt religious sentiments: Boman Irani

Gurgaon, April 20 (IANS) Comedy-drama "Santa Banta Pvt. Ltd." has no connection with the Santa-Banta jokes that are made on the Sikh community and the film does not hurt anybody's religious sentiments, actor Boman Irani said here on Wednesday.

Boman was here to promote his forthcoming film along with his co-stars, Neha Dhupia and Vir Das.

A petition was filed against "Santa Banta Pvt. Ltd." earlier this month by Punjab Cultural Heritage Board president Charan Singh Sapra and others claiming that the film depicts the Sikh community in poor light and it could pose a threat to public order.

However, the Bombay High Court refused to grant an interim stay on the release of the Akashdeep Sabir directorial.

"Our film is not at all hurting anybody's religious sentiments. The characters which Vir and I are playing -- Santa and Banta -- have no similarity to the Santa-Banta jokes that we have heard," Boman told reporters here.

"I'm playing Santa and Vir is Banta. The film is based on two detectives who are sent on a mission to solve a crime. The story is about their journey. The jokes that are in the film are totally different from those (Santa-Banta jokes)," he said.

Sabir, who was also present, said the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) passed the film without any cuts.

"If CBFC has given a green light to the film, then I feel it's not hurting anybody's sentiments. They haven't cut a single shot which means the film is made for everyone to watch. It's a crime caper," he said.

The film, which will release on Friday, also features Lisa Haydon, Johnny Lever, Ram Kapoor, Vijay Raaz and Sanjay Mishra.

About his part in the film, Vir said: "I play Banta. Though it's not the first time I'm starring in a comedy film, I had a great time shooting this one, especially in Fiji."

Neha, who plays Boman's love interest, said: "Boman is such a great actor. I respect him as a person and as an actor a lot. So it was fantastic to work with him. Not only him, it was a fantastic experience and a great learning experience for me. I learned a lot from Johnny, Ram, Vijay, Vir and Sanjay."

--IANS

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