New Delhi:
Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan’s debut film ‘Maharaj’ seems to have cleared the cloud of difficulties. It is reported that the Gujarat High Court has lifted the ban on the OTT release of Bollywood actor Junaid’s debut film ‘Maharaj’. This will surely be a relief news for filmmakers Junaid Khan and Netflix. Controversy was going on for the last few days regarding this film. The film was earlier scheduled to release on June 14, but the film was banned before its release.
The Gujarat High Court on Friday (June 21) lifted the temporary stay on the release of streaming giant Netflix’s film ‘Maharaj’. The court said that the film Maharaj is based on events related to the 1862 Maharaj defamation case and is not intended to hurt any community sentiments. Justice Sangeeta K. Whisen, who had blocked the film’s release on June 13, decided to allow Netflix to stream the film on Friday after watching the film. The court said, “This court has prima facie concluded that the film Maharaj is based on the events which gave rise to the defamation case and is not intended to hurt the sentiments of any community. The film was certified by the expert body Central Board of Film Certification after considering the relevant guidelines.
The film, which was originally scheduled to release on the 14th, was banned by the High Court. Because a group of industrialists had filed a petition in the court that it was likely to hurt the religious sentiments of the Vaishnav community. The film Maharaj is based on Gujarati writer Saurabh Shah’s 2013 book about the defamation case filed in 1862 by prominent Vaishnav figure Jadunathji against social reformer Karsandas Mulji, who wrote against sexual exploitation by the Almighty Maharaj.
Mulji exposed the exploitative practices in his periodical Satyaprakash, leading to a defamation case. This famous Maharaja became a defamation case. Justice Visen said the petitioners’ primary complaint that the film defames and insults the Vaishnav community has no merit. “This court is thus bound to come to the conclusion that the apprehensions of the petitioners are based on speculation. “Since the film has not yet been released for public viewing, the freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution cannot be restricted merely on the basis of speculation,” the court said. The film focuses on social evils and the struggle for social reform by Karsandas Mulji who himself belonged to the Vaishnava community.”
He said, “The film does not affect or hurt religious sentiments in any way. The film concludes that sect is more important than any person or event. Taking this incident as an exception, the Vaishnava sect and its followers continued to grow and remain .a proud and integral part of India’s social, cultural and religious fabric that this is likely to create communal hatred, however, based on the same defamation case, which was reported in 2013, he added Nor, the petitioners have also informed that the book has caused communal hatred.