LAHORE: Indian film actor Om Puri’s visit to Lahore last month has led to a controversy, involving Mr Puri, his wife Nandita, ex-wife Seema Kapoor and the Pakistani media.
Ms Nandita Puri’s lawyers based in Mumbai have pointed out the wrong projection of Ms Seema Kapoor as Mr Om Puri’s wife. They have objected to flawed media reporting of the visit in a notice emailed to Dawn.
The lawyers said Ms Nandita Puri was the legally married wife of Mr Om Puri and called for production of documents showing that Mr Om Puri and Seema Kapoor … were married. “…there is a criminal case pending against Om Puri in the Metropolitan Magistrates, Railway Mobile Court, Andheri, Mumbai, under sections 324, 502 and 504 for which he has been charge-sheeted and he is currently under bail,” the notice says.
Mr Puri and Ms Nandita have been locked in a legal battle for some time, according to reports gleaned from Indian media. The Bombay High Court has “suggested that the two should try to amicably settle their matrimonial dispute”.
According to the Business Standard edition of April 7, Justice Revati Mohite-Dere asked the couple to appear in her chambers to work out a solution.
“Om Puri had approached the high court challenging an October 2013 order of the family court here directing him to pay Rs1.25 lakh and Rs50,000 monthly maintenance to his wife Nandita and son, respectively.”
In August last year, Ms Nandita, a writer and film critic, lodged a complaint at a Mumbai police station, alleging that the actor beat her with a stick and hurled abuses at her.
Earlier, the news about differences between the couple were reported after Mr Om Puri publicly showed his displeasure at certain passages in Ms Nandita’s book about him which to his mind had cast him in negative light. Around the same time there were reports in the Indian media that spoke about Mr Puri’s contact with his ex-wife Seema Kapoor.
Unaware of all these facts, the Pakistani media was to unwittingly take part in an episode which, in the words of her lawyers, led to a situation where Ms Nandita “has been insulted …trying to ward off questions regarding the same from friends, family and strangers from India and abroad.”
Shocked by the incident and aware of the distress it must have caused to Ms Nandita Puri, Dawn on its part has undertaken an investigation to find out how the impression that Ms Kapoor was Mr Om Puri’s wife was created and how it all crept into the paper.
The known facts as they stand are that Ms Kapoor happened to be in Lahore at the same time when Mr Puri was touring the city to perform on stage alongside prominent actress Divya Datta. There were a few events in the city, including the screening of Ms Kapoor’s film ‘Haat’ where she and Mr Puri were seen together, and wrongly assumed to be a couple. This led to the erroneous information in the paper, and it was repeated, right up to the point when the two returned to India via Wagah.
According to India Today, Ms Kapoor says she was in Lahore for the screening of her film Haat. “She later refused to answer any personal questions involving her and Om Puri.” Mr Puri “… refused to say anything, first repeating Seema’s response, and later adding he was unwell.”