More Embarrassment For Adipurush: Allahabad High Court Makes Damning Observations In Petitions Seeking Ban On Film’s Exhibition

The Allahabad High Court yesterday (27 June) heavily criticised the makers of the film 'Adipurush' over its dialogues and disclaimer. The court was hearing two petitions seeking a ban on exhibition of the film.

While a hearing is due in the case today (28 June), the court made several damning observations on the film. The bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Shree Prakash Singh said:

“The one who is gentle should be suppressed? Is it so? It is good that it is about a religion, the believers of which did not create any public order problem. We should be thankful. We saw in the news that some people had gone to cinema halls (wherein the movie was being exhibited) and they only forced them to close the hall, they could have done something else as well.”

The bench further said:

“Agar hum log ispar bhi aankh band kar len kyonki yeh kaha jaata hai ki yeh dharm ke log bade sahishnu (Tolerant) hain to kya uska test liya jayega? (If we close our eyes on this issue also, because it is said that the people of this religion are very tolerant, so will it be put to test?).”

“The issue here (in the PILs) is that the way the movie has been made, there are some scriptures which are exemplary and are worthy of worship. People recite Ramcharitmanas before leaving their homes.”

Reacting to the argument by the respondents that a disclaimer has been added by the filmmakers that the film is not an adaptation of Ramayan but is inspired by the text, the court said:

"Do the people who put the disclaimer consider the countrymen, and youth to be brainless? You show Lord Rama, Lord Laxman, Lord Hanuman, Ravana, Lanka and then say it is not Ramayana?"

The pleas were filed last year by activists Kuldeep Tiwari and Bandana Kumar through advocates Ranjana Agnihotri and Sudha Sharma, stating that the film tarnishes the image of the Hindu figures and their holy text by being clumsy and indecent.

Last week, an amendment plea was filed seeking the impleadment of the film’s dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir as party respondent in the plea. 

Read the court order here.