Shah Rukh has cheated me

Sat, Jul 5 01:05 AM

Shah Rukh has cheated me," says Manoj Kumar. The veteran actor-filmmaker is miffed with Shah Rukh Khan and director Farah Khan for not fulfilling their promise to delete the spoof scene from Om Shanti Om that showed Manoj Kumar (played by a lookalike) being refused entry at an award show.

This spoof angered the veteran actor when OSO first hit the cinemas. Apparently, he was promised by Shah Rukh and peacemaker Yash Chopra that this sequence would be deleted.

"After the release of the film, Yash Chopra came to meet me with Shah Rukh and his wife Gauri. They had come to apologise for the scene.

They were sweet about it. And I made sure they were not embarrassed in any way.

The three of them then promised to delete that particular scene," says Kumar. But the scene has remained, and Kumar feels hard done by.

"It's extremely unprofessional and disrespectful of Shah Rukh to have forgotten his promise. What does he think? Am I an idiot?" He now wants to go to court.

"According to the law and film censor, it's wrong to mimic a live person without his or her permission. The law allows me to move court against them.

" With the scene, Farah has made fun of the actor and hurt the sentiments of the people who made him an icon, he feels. "I am just not the actor Manoj Kumar.

I've been given the name of Bharat Kumar because of the love and respect of the Indian people. It's not just an insult to me; it's an insult to that integrity.

" He has not been able to get in touch with the Khans. "I was given a number, and told it was Gauri's.

I rang it twice, but the person who took the call said there was no Gauri available. I don't know if I was given a wrong number deliberately or not," says Kumar.

He is also upset with Yash Chopra who played mediator. "It becomes his duty to take care of the words exchanged in his presence.

If he can't do it, he should not come forward in such situations." Farah Khan remained unavailable for comments, while Shah Rukh was travelling till the time of going to press.

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