Lucknow :

A majestic pre-Independence era haveli in Old City is caught in a controversy with the UP Sunni Waqf Board asking district administration to halt shooting schedule of a Hindi film in it.

Tucked away in the congested Akbari Gate area on Abdul Aziz Road, Ahmad Manzil was built in 1922 and belonged to tobacco merchants Ahmad Ali and Sons of global fame. In the 1940’s, owner Khan Bahadur Syed Ahmad Husain Rizvi declared it wakf property and laid out conditions under which the property was to be utilised by his descendants. The current mutawalli (caretaker) Iqbal Rizvi allegedly granted permission to the makers of ‘Tanu Weds Manu-2’ to shoot inside the building.

This has irked other residents of the haveli who allege that shooting of the film in the building is against the will of the wakif Khan Bahadur Syed Ahmad Husain Rizvi. “Shooting cannot be allowed since no such activity can take place on the haveli compound without unanimous consent of all beneficiaries of the property. Also, nothing that’s against the ‘Shariah’ (Islamic jurisprudence) can be allowed,” says Fareed Rizvi whose letter to the Waqf Board prompted the latter’s letter to the district magistrate.

Incidentally, the Waqf Board had written a similar letter to the DM during the shooting of ‘Dabangg-2’ but by the time a district administration inspection team reached the venue, shooting for the film had already concluded.

When contacted, the haveli’s caretaker Iqbal Rizvi remained tight-lipped on the issue. DM Raj Shekhar said the Wakf Board letter could not be tabled for discussion due to holidays but appropriate action will be taken after studying the facts of the case.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City>Lucknow / by Ali Rizvi, TNN / October 08th, 2014