Adipurush Lyricist Manoj Muntashir Says Hanuman ‘Bhagwaan Nahi Hai’

Pic courtesy ANI

New Delhi: As if Adipurush, starring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon didn’t have enough trouble, now it is embroiled in another controversy with its dialogue writer and lyricist Manoj Muntashir Shukla saying “Lord Hanuman is not a God.”

Manoj Muntashir is once again being subjected to severe criticism for making a controversial statement regarding Lord Hanuman in his recent interview. “Bajrangbali bhagwaan nahi hai, bhakt hai. Humne unko bhagwaan banaya hai kyuki unki bhakti mein wo power tha (Lord Hanuman is not God but a mere devotee. We made him God because his devotion had that power),” Manoj told Aaj Tak while defending the “oversimplified” dialogues in the movie. The reaction to this statement is anyone’s guess.

Meanwhile, Adipurush witnessed a massive drop on Monday, day 4, at the box office amid a growing backlash against the film. Trade expert Taran Adarsh revealed that the film nosedived on the first day of the week. A Pinkvilla report also stated that the film witnessed a downfall of 75 to 77 per cent at the box office. As a result, the film collected only Rs 8.5 crores nett box office collection on Day 4 at the box office for its Hindi version.