The Bombay High Court recently rejected the plea by former Goa Chief Minister Churchill Alemao to stop the release of the film “Costao.” The film, which stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is based on the life of Costao Fernandes, a retired customs officer from Goa. The movie’s storyline is inspired by events from the 1990s when Fernandes was allegedly involved in uncovering a gold smuggling operation connected to the Alemao family.
Bombay HC Rejects Alemao’s Plea Against Film
Churchill Alemao, along with his family, filed a civil defamation suit against the film’s production, asking the court to stop its release and demanding compensation. He argued that the movie unfairly depicted his family as criminals and could harm his reputation and political career. The politician also claimed that the film ignored several judicial proceedings that cleared him of any involvement in the smuggling incident. He feared that the film’s portrayal would leave the public with the wrong impression about his family.
The respondents, however, argued that the movie is a work of fiction. They explained that while the real-life incident may have inspired the film, the narrative is creatively fictionalized. The movie is not a documentary, and the characters portrayed are not meant to resemble real individuals. They also emphasized that the film included a disclaimer to clarify this.
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The High Court, in its judgment, sided with the film’s makers. The court stated that the claim of defamation was based on assumptions, as the film had not yet been released at the time of the appeal. The court also observed that there was no clear evidence showing how the film would harm Churchill Alemao’s reputation. The film was set to be released the next day, and the court noted that the film’s content had been presented as fictional, without direct links to any real-life person or family.
In the end, the Bombay High Court dismissed the appeal, allowing the movie “Costao” to be released as scheduled.
