No Relief For ‘Maharaj’ Until Gujarat HC Has Seen It!

The troubles for Junaid Khan and Netflix are far from over.

Gujarat HC has refused to give any temporary relief to the makers of ‘Maharaj’. According to the latest reports, the film will be cleared only if nothing is found objectionable.

But why is ‘Maharaj’ facing so much trouble? Like ‘Hamare Baarah’, ‘Maharaj’ is also a bold attempt to address some social ills, and how one man fought against all odds to deliver justice. However, as soon as the details about the movie were out, the film faced immense outrage on the social media, with organizations demanding VHP and Bajrang Dal demanding a special screening before its ultimate release on the OTT. ‘Maharaj’ is directed by Siddharth P Malhotra, and stars Junaid Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, and Sharvari Wagh in the lead roles.

But why is ‘Maharaj’ so controversial? The film is based on the 1862 Maharaj libel case, where Karsandas Mulji won a case against the Pushtimarg sect of Vaishnav Hindus. Not a bad subject for a historical, right?

The main problem lies in the case itself. While the subject was exercising the freedom of speech, the judgment was pronounced by a British judge in the Supreme Court of Bombay Presidency [now the High Court of Mumbai]. Apart from that, the judgment was pronounced in 1862, only three years after the Great Revolt of 1857 was suppressed by the British Empire. As such, the people who are objecting have a doubt on the intention of the makers, given that YRF had also produced “Samrat Prithviraj”, which didn’t do full justice with the legacy of Prithviraj Chauhan.