Mumbai: A day after some Muslim organisations took objections to one of the songs in the M F Hussain's recent film 'Meenaxi - A Tale of Three Cities', the eminent artist today (Apr 16, 2004) ordered for immediate withdrawal of the film from public shows in the entire country.

"I have told my sole distributor Yash Chopra to withdraw the film from public shows from all over the country with immediate effect," Hussain said.

"Since I have not sold the film, directed and produced by me, to anyone, including Chopra, I would like to stop the film from showing to the public," he said.

When asked for the reason behind it, Hussain said, "I have not made the film to make money nor have I sold it to anyone. Therefore, I need not give any reason for withdrawing from showing to public."

Terming the song 'Noorun-ala-Noor' of the film, starring Tabu in the lead role, as "blasphemous", the All India Ulema Council had yesterday (Apr 15, 2004) demanded an immediate ban on it.

"The song, picturised on Tabu, contains words which are directly lifted from the text of the Quran," the organisation, supported among others by Milli Council, All India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-Ul-Ulema-E-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami, said adding, "In Quran, the words are used to define the persona of Prophet but in Hussain's film, it is being use to depict the physical beauty of the heroine."

The song has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims, they claimed.