Jabbar wants Ambedkar release put on hold

But Patel now says 60 per cent of theatre owners have expressed apprehensions about the release date as it is less than a week away from the polls, which begin on April 20. After all, the film has to do well in theatres also, he says. Ministry officials will be meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue. Patel said he wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting. However, the film distributor is expected to be there.

The film has been jointly produced by the I&B Ministry, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Maharastra Government. While the English version was ready by December 1999, the Hindi version was finished four months later. Following complaints from the Ministry of Social Welfare, the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which happens to be the marketing wing of the I&B Ministry, was blamed for the four-year delay. Officials said they would probe the reason for the delay.

An internal note prepared by the I&B Ministry last month had observed that the film had not been released anywhere except Maharastra. The NFDC had responded by stating that the delay was due to problems encountered with State Governments while seeking entertainment tax exemption and dubbing the film in major Indian languages. According to Patel, Ambedkar has been dubbbed in nine languages. Commissioned for Rs 8.5 crores, the film has been shot extensively in the US, UK and India, with veteran actor Mammooty essaying the role of Ambedkar.