Agencies 

Jul 13: Bollywood star Anil Kapoor 's debut as a producer is not going well, at least in the United Kingdom.

Kapoor's movie Gandhi My Father , which focuses on Mahatma Gandhi's strained relations with his son, Harilal, has sparked off protests within the Brit Indian community, weeks before its release in Britain.

Calls to halt the release of the film were sounded Wednesday, prompting his great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, to urge protesters to see the film before condemning it.

The protesters do not believe that a film about the father of their nation should explore Gandhi's family crises.

Razi Ahmad, the secretary of the Gandhi Sangrahalaya, a research centre in Patna, has urged President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam to intervene and stop the film from being screened.

'The name of Mahatma Gandhi or that of any other national leader should not be used for commercial purposes. It is against the law of the land. We are of the view that any attempt to tarnish the image of national heroes should not be permitted,' Ahmad was quoted by The Times, as saying.

Tushar Gandhi, the grandson of Manilal Gandhi, the second of Gandhi's sons - told The Times that people should give the film a chance, that he was impressed by its sensitivity, despite his own initial concerns before seeing it.

'It is a very well-made film. It is sincere to the subject,' he added.

Directed by theatre personality Feroz Abbas Khan and starring Akshaye Khanna as Harilal, the film is shot in Hindi and English and will be released in Britain and India on August 3.