The release of the film Adipurush, starring Prabhas, faced new challenges on its release day. According to Livelaw, the national president of Hindu Sena filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court, seeking the removal of certain “objectionable scenes” in director Om Raut’s film that involved characters such as Ravana, Lord Ram, Mata Sita, and Hanuman. The plea argued that these scenes deviated from the portrayals of these religious figures as depicted in the Ramayana. It further stated that any alteration or distortion of the divine image of Lord Ram, Sita, and Hanuman by the film’s producers, directors, and actors would violate the fundamental rights of Hindus. The scenes in question were said to have depicted the religious characters in an offensive manner, insulting Hindu civilization, religious figures, and idols.
The plea also pointed out that the hairstyles, beards, and dressing of the characters were faithfully represented as per the depictions in the epics. Any deviation from these portrayals by the film’s producers, directors, and actors would undoubtedly hurt the sentiments of worshipers, devotees, and religious believers. The plea requested “corrective measures” to be taken by the film’s producers and directors.
The plea argued that the distorted public exhibition of Hindu religious figures in the film Adipurush amounted to a clear violation of freedom of conscience and practice, as well as the freedom to manage religious affairs, as guaranteed under Article 26.
The retelling of the Ramayana in Adipurush has faced significant criticism since the release of its teaser last year. Hindu organizations and the chief priest of the Ayodhya Ram Temple objected to the portrayal of the epic characters. The film’s makers assured that they had taken precautions not to offend any religious sentiments. Director Om Raut even made an appeal to theatre owners to keep a seat empty to honor Lord Hanuman, which generated buzz before the movie’s release.
However, on the day of its release, the film encountered some setbacks. Adipurush was not screened during the morning shows in Kathmandu. The mayor of Kathmandu objected to a dialogue in the movie that referred to Sita as India’s daughter, stating that it was factually incorrect as Sita is Nepal’s daughter. Mayor Balen Shah threatened to ban all Indian movies in Kathmandu if the dialogue was not rectified. Reports indicated that the dialogue was later edited.
