Gujarati Community Seek Immediate Ban Of Film 'Maharaj'; Demand Separate Religious Censor Board

Yet again the debut film of Bollywood star Aamir Khan's son Junaid titled 'Maharaj' is at the receiving end of trouble with religious leaders of Gopal Mandir alleging the movie of hurting the sentiments of the Sanantan Dharma.

Varanasi: Even as the Gujarat High Court allowed the debut film of Bollywood star Aamir Khan's son Junaid titled 'Maharaj' to release on the Over The Top (OTT) platform Netflix on Friday, June 21, religious leaders of Gopal Mandir, an important seat of the Gujarati community, staged a sit-in at Golghar on Wednesday, demanding an immediate ban on its broadcast.

Some of them visited the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Office and gave a memorandum to the office in-charge, Shivnarayan Pathak, demanding the formation of a separate religious censor board for the release of such films.

The court had earlier lifted the interim stay on the release of the film, observing that it was not 'derogatory' and did not target the Pushtimarg sect as alleged. However, followers of the Sanatan Dharma has alleged the film of attacking the Guru-disciple tradition of the Hindu religion.

Shyam Manohar Ji Maharaj said, "Today, we have come out on the streets to protest against this film that attacks our Sanatan Dharma. They are trying to defame us and spoil our future generations. We will never allow that."

Alok Parikh of Gujarati society said that attempts were made to tarnish our religion even in the past. "The makers of this film has crossed all limits and we are here to raise our voice against that. If they do not adhere to our demands, the protest will continue," he added.

What is the controversy? The movie is based on the 1862 libel case of Karsandas Mulji, a social reformer and leader of the Vaishnavite religion. The 1862 libel case arose from an article written by Mulji in a Gujarati weekly, alleging that a Vaishnavaite leader had liaisons with his female devotees.

Mulji was a social reformer and journalist who pioneered the cause of women's rights and social change. Some members of the Pushtimarg sect reportedly sent a petition to Netflix against the film's release, alleging it of offending their religious sensibilities.