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Making movies has never been very easy and when it comes to making an expensive epic film like Jodhaa Akbar, the problems become more severe. Ashutosh Gowariker was supposed to release Jodhaa Akbar in October this year but failed as he could not finish the shooting. Moreover, the legal problems related to the film are a major headache. The Rajput Sabha of Rajasthan filed case against Ashutosh on the ground of misrepresentation of the history in his movie. Then there are the problems with using animals. Ashutosh faced severe opposition from People for Animal (PFA) in Rajasthan. In November last year, the organization filed a suit against Ashutosh in Jaipur court. They brought charges against Ashutosh of ill treating the animals on the set. After that, Ashutosh shifted to N.D. Studio in Karjaat.

This time, it is Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) in Chennai. According to the AWBI officials, Ashutosh Gowariker did not submit all the documents necessary for the organization to give him permission to bring ten elephants from Jaipur.

For shooting one final song, Ashutosh required ten elephants and he decided to bring them from Jaipur. Forest officials have checked the physical conditions of the elephants. The animals will stay there from November 10 to November 25.

However, the secretary of the AWBI, K Ramaswami, informed DNA that the producer of the movie did not submit documents of ownership proof and the kind of work they will do in the movie. When the reporters tried to contact Ashutosh he was unavailable.

PFA also wrote to the director general of Police in Maharashtra to find out about the necessary rules and regulations regarding using animals and whether they  have been flouted. PFA chairman demanded that police should make sure that these animals are registered under AWBI and the transporter is authorized by the organization.

Well, it is a good thing that Indian people are serious about the rights of the animals in their country. It is true that very often animals are ill treated. On the other hand, shooting a movie is very tough. It is not possible to get the accurate scene at first shot. For this reason probably, Ashutosh had pushed the envelope a bit further. Let us hope and pray that Ashutosh come out of this problem as soon as possible and finish the movie.

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