Kala Hiran Director Says Govind Namdev 'Knew Everything' About Film: 'I Don't Know Sonu Mmishra' | Exclusive

Govind Namdev has distanced himself from Kala Hiran: The Battle For Legacy, a film inspired by the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The film, produced by Amit Jani, features Namdev in the role of an advocate seeking justice on behalf of the Bishnoi community. Following the release of its first look teaser, a controversy sparked over its apparent references to Salman Khan.

Namdev has now claimed that he was unaware of Kala Hiran’s actual narrative and that he was kept in the dark about its intent. Soon after, Jani sent him a legal notice, demanding a public apology within seven days, along with a fine of Rs 50 lakh to the production house. The film’s director Bharat S Shrinate now exclusively speaks to News18 about the row.

“Ho sakta hai ki uss samay

unka mood kuch aur raha ho. He knew each and every thing that the film entails. I respect him a lot as a senior artist. But since it’s a legal matter, I wouldn’t want to comment on this. The production has sent him a legal notice,” he tells us. Speaking to Amar Ujala, Namdev also made it clear that he would not knowingly be part of a film against Khan.

He further claimed that the film had initially been presented to him under a different title – Sambhal. On the other hand, Sonu Mmishra, who starred alongside Khan in Sikandar, has said that he was initially offered the lead role in Kala Hiran, a character allegedly modelled on the superstar. However, he decided to quit the film after shooting for a couple of days.

The makers, in his words, wanted him to speak against Khan in the media as part of the project. But Shrinate asserts that he has never heard of Mmishra, implying he wasn’t approached for Kala Hiran. “Is he an actor? I didn’t see him on set. He’s going around talking about it. I don’t know him. Garam tel mein log pakode talna chahte hai. The protagonist is Kashif Iqbal Khan,” he remarks.

In his words, shooting the film made for a ‘very good experience’ as all the actors had a good time on set. That’s also why Namdev’s claims have taken him aback. “We received cooperation from all the actors – Mukesh Tiwari and even Namdev ji. Sabne achche se kaam kara hai,” Shrinate shares. Meanwhile, Khan has approached the Delhi HC seeking a stay on Kala Hiran.

Through his legal counsel, he has also argued that the film is based on the blackbuck poaching case allegedly involving him and violates a Delhi HC order protecting his personality rights. But Shrinate’s confident that Kala Hiran will see the light of day very soon. “We hope the film releases in the upcoming month. It definitely will.”

He continues, “So many films get made on real historic events, sensitive subjects, homicides and terrorist attacks, and no one seems to have an issue with them. Our film is inspired from an episode that had happened in Jodhpur. And we aren’t showing Salman Khan in our film in any way. We’re also getting support from the industry.”