A direction to add audio description and subtitles was given to Yash Raj Films for Pathan by the Delhi High Court

Recently, the Delhi High Court directed Yash Raj Films to give subtitles and audio descriptions in the Hindi language for its upcoming movie Pathaan. The movie shall be then submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (“CBFC”) for re-certification. The order was directed to provide the same cinema experience to visually and hearing impaired people on the Over the Top (“OTT”) platforms. 

The petition was heard by the single-judge Justice Pratibha M Singh and filed by a group of lawyers and law students along with the visually and hearing impaired people. There was not much contention from the advocate of Yash Raj Films and an amicable agreement to accept the order was given so that the movie can be enjoyed by the audience. 

Referring to movies like Dangal, Munnabhai MBBS, and Black, the judge stated that the same technology is available for these movies as well. However, the court refused to pass any direction or order for the theatrical release of the movie, as there is a larger issue involved therein.