The High Court has banned the streaming of “Faraaz” – an Indian film based on the 2016 terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan – on online platforms in Bangladesh. The HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir today passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed against the screening of the movie directed by Hansal Mehta. Barrister Rokan Uddin Mahmud and the lawyer Ahsanul Karim stood for the petitioner at the court. Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state. Read more: Holey Artisan victim's mother vows to fight release of Bollywood film on tragedy The petition was filed against the streaming of the film online and screening at movie theatres by Ruba Ahmed, mother of Abinta Kabir who was one of the victims of the attack. “As the film is yet to be approved by the Censor Board, today’s directive does not mention a ban on screening in cinema halls,” the petitioner’s lawyer Ahsanul Karim told UNB. Produced by T-Series and Benaras Media Works, “Faraaz” is loosely based on the terrorist attack at Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1, 2016. At least 22 people, including 17 foreign nationals, were killed in the attack. Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain and Abinta Kabir were among the victims alongside Tarishi Jain and Ishrat Akhond. Read more: Abinta Kabir Foundation sends legal notice to FARAAZ movie producers Two police officers were also killed in the attack. Since the trailer of Hansal Mehta’s much-talked-about Bollywood film “Faraaz” was released, Ruba Ahmed took to the media to express her objections to releasing and promoting the film in Bangladesh. Ahmed, alongside the mother of Tarishi Jain, an Indian national who was killed in the attack, has also fought a legal battle at Delhi High Court to stop the release of “Faraaz”. However, the Indian court refused to block the film which was released in theatres across India on February 3. Read More: Holey Artisan Victim Faraaz's Heroism is Now on the Silver Screen

It's been over half a decade since the Dhaka cafe massacre, but it still continues to be a subject of macabre curiosity the world over due to its audacity. Now, a Bollywood film will delve into the details of Bangladesh's worst terror attack. According to leading Indian film news portal peepingmoon.com, 53-year-old Bollywood filmmaker Hansal Mehta's upcoming movie 'Faraaz' is based on the grisly terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan cafe in the upmarket Gulshan district of Dhaka. Read:Diplomats pay tribute to Holey Artisan attack victims The film -- a collaboration between Mehta and producer Anubhav Sinha -- chronicles the 12-hour siege that took place on July 1, 2016, the portal reported. The attack was, in fact, carried out by a group of five young militants, who took nearly 50 diners -- mostly Japanese and Italian -- hostage at gunpoint and eventually killed 22 people. All the Islamists were later gunned down by elite Bangladeshi Army commandos. In a televised address to the nation at the time, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the "extremely heinous act". "What kind of Muslims are these people? They don't have any religion," she had said. Read:5th anniversary of Gulshan Cafe attack: Bangladesh's night of infamy