Protests against Aamir Khan’s ‘Delhi Belly’

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan's new film has been a hit at the box office but has also led to protests and even a court case against its dialogue and content, which critics say is vulgar and offensive. The comedy "Delhi Belly", starring the actor-producer-director's nephew Imran Khan, revolves around three, scruffy, debt-ridden room-mates who unwittingly fall into a life of crime with a mafia boss. The film, which is mainly in English with a profanity-peppered dialogue and toilet humour, had by Monday taken a total of 487.5 million rupees ($10.9 million) since it opened on July. But with India as a whole still a conservative place, not everyone is happy. On Monday protesters stormed a cinema in the western city of Kolhapur, forcing a screening of the film to be cancelled. Another theatre was attacked in the central city of Indore following action by a right-wing Hindu organisation that called for the movie to be banned for having too much abusive and vulgar language. Even in India's more liberal entertainment capital, Mumbai, a complaint was filed in court, accusing Aamir Khan, who has a cameo role, of showing "obscene" acts and outraging and insulting religion or religious beliefs. Industry analysts, however, have said the film has aroused public interest as it was a reflection of young people in modern, urban India. (AFP)