New Delhi. A day before the premiere of the much-talked-about film ‘Maharaj’ on Netflix, a demand has been raised to ban it.
A section of social media users has demanded a ban on the debut film of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan. Hashtags like ‘Boycott Netflix’, ‘Ban Maharaj Film’ and Aamir Khan started trending on the social media platform ‘X’ since Thursday morning.
According to the makers, the story of ‘Maharaj’ is set in the pre-independence era of India and is based on the 1862 ‘Maharaj Libel Case’, which was sparked by allegations of misconduct by a well-known person. The film is directed by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Aditya Chopra. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat. The film is releasing on Netflix without any promotion. Apart from the posters of Jaideep and Junaid, the makers have not released any teaser or trailer for the film.
Among those demanding a ban is Sadhvi Prachi of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. She wrote on ‘X’, “Will not tolerate insult to Sanatan Dharma. Ban Maharaj.” According to a press release issued by Netflix last month, ‘Maharaj’ is based on a journalist and social reformer Karsandas Mulji, who was an advocate of women’s rights and social reform. ‘Maharaj’ also features Shalini Pandey and Sharvari in special roles.
One of the people demanding the ban alleged that Aamir Khan “launched his son with a film based on a Hindu plot which portrays a wrong image of sadhus and the Vallabh sect by referring to an incident of the British period.” He said that such content can alienate Hindu youth from Sanatan Dharma. Another social media user alleged that double standards are seen when it comes to films on Hinduism and Islam.
Referring to the films “72 Hooren” and “Humare Barah”, this user said, “Maharaj, the film is on your gods and religion, so you are demanding a ban. If it was on another community, all the hatred that could have been spread through it would have been spread.” The Supreme Court on Thursday banned the release of Annu Kapoor’s film ‘Humare Barah’. The film was to be released on June 14. The apex court banned the release of the film taking cognizance of the allegations of insulting Islamic faith and married Muslim women.