Manisha was in the know of things, says film-maker

Justice Rebello is hearing the actress’s petition against some ‘‘objectionable’’ scenes in the film alleging that they had been shot without her consent.

On August 14, the court stayed the proceedings in the case till the film was released. Koirala’s petition says the screening of the scenes will make her a subject of ridicule.

Dwarkadas said Manisha was suppressing facts in front of the court. He said that in December 2001, she was shown the storyboard and it was explained to her that it was a story of a 15-year-old boy’s fantasies involving certain sensitive scenes to be shot in 20 days. He said the film was shot between March 11 and March 28, 2002 and the scenes with the duplicate were shot between March 19 and 20. He said since Manisha had not lost weight, the film’s schedule could not be delayed and a decision was taken to use a duplicate. ‘‘At this stage, he (Nair) even offered to drop her but she told him to go ahead. Later, she expressed surprise when she came to know about the use of a duplicate,’’ argued Dwarkadas.

He said Manisha’s hairstylist was present during the two-day shoot to ensure that the duplicate’s hairstyle and make-up matched those of the actress. Dwarkadas said Manisha has compelled her hairdresser to file an affidavit saying she was not present during the shoot. He added that Manisha lent her voice for the scenes with the duplicate and saw the film twice during the dubbing.

Asked by the judge whether two sets of shots were available, Dwarkadas replied in the affirmative and added that a screening could be arranged for the court.