‘Chandi Chowk to China’ producer apologises for distorting history

Mumbai, Feb 03: Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has apologised for a scene in his latest film "Chandni Chowk to China" which mentions India instead of Nepal as the birth place of Lord Buddha. Nepal witnessed a huge uproar over the issue and there were large scale demonstrations when the film was released in the neighbouring country last month.

The opening scene where a voiceover describes the hero (Akshay Kumar) as a man hailing from the birth place of Lord Buddha (India) was deleted from the prints released in Nepal, whereas it was retained in India and elsewhere. Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal, which is revered by Buddhists all over the world. Talking to reporters yesterday, Sippy said the film did not intend to hurt anyone`s feelings. But, he admitted that the script writer of the film fell short in research work while handling a historical fact. "The controversial scene is just a voiceover and was not even required. It will be deleted," he said apologising on behalf of the entire cast and crew of the film. The film, starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, has been penned by critics and was declared as a box office failure even though producers have claimed that it has earned Rs 45 crore. Bureau Report