Kuljit Pal-Mahesh Batt battle over 'Arth' intensifies

Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) The "Arth" producer Kuljit Pal is up in arms against Mahesh Bhatt for giving his consent to a Pakistani producer for the remake rights of the classic, but Bhatt says he gave no-objection thinking this will be one of the first initiatives to strengthen the India-Pakistan relations.

In a Public Notice, Pal has accused Bhatt of wrong-doing.

Said Pal: "It appears that Mahesh Bhatt has committed an offence, misleading Pakistani producers by assigning them the rights of 'Arth' that legally belong solely to us. You all are advised not to deal with Sri Mahesh Bhatt for 'Arth'."

To this Bhatt replied: "The Public Notice issued by the producer is apparently speculative. The words 'it appears that Mahesh Bhatt sold the rights' says it all that the producer is not sure about the facts and has not bothered to know the same before issuing the notice."

Bhatt explained saying that he was approached by Pakistani superstar Shaan "seeking my no-objection for 'Arth' being remade in Urdu language based on the script of the original film".

"I have given my no-objection since I believe that this will be one of the first initiatives to strengthen the Indo-Pak relations. There is no commercial angle in this, hence the word 'sold' is completely misplaced. At this stage, I don't wish to comment on ownership of rights in the screenplay since the same is unwarranted in the given facts and circumstances."