New Delhi: “Adipurush”, a lavish multilingual retelling of the Ramayana, was at the centre of protests in several cities on Monday and led to a ban on all Hindi films in Nepal with Union minister Anurag Thakur stepping in to say that nobody has the right to hurt the sentiments of people.
As the row over the film escalated and audiences in various parts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi took to the streets, Mumbai Police agreed to give security to dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir Shukla on his request.
The film, directed by Om Raut and fronted by Prabhas and Kriti Sanon, has come under attack for its dialogue, colloquial language and representation of some characters from the much-loved mythological epic.
In Nepal as well, “Adipurush” provoked ire over its dialogues, but particularly for its mention of Sita as “India’s daughter”. Screening of “Adipurush” and all other Hindi films has been banned in the country until the film’s team makes desired changes.
In Mumbai, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Thakur said the film’s writer and director have agreed to make some changes after the nationwide uproar.
“Nobody has the right to hurt the sentiments of others. The CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) has taken a decision over the issue. It is their job,” Thakur told reporters when asked about his views and the central government’s stand over the controversial film.
“Adipurush”, which was released across the country in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil on Friday, stars Prabhas as Raghav (Ram), Kriti Sanon as Janaki (Sita) and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh (Raavan).
