Mumbai: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday stayed the release of ‘Maharaj’, the debut film of Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan.
The court’s action comes after a Hindu group filed a plea claiming that the movie will incite violence against followers of a Hindu sect.
‘Maharaj’, directed by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Aditya Chopra, was due to release on OTT platform Netflix on June 14.
Devotees of Lord Krishna and followers of Vallabhacharya, which is the Pushtimarg sect, filed the petition alleging that the movie, apparently based on the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, is likely to affect public order and incite violence against followers of the sect and Hindu religion.
The petition stated that the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 was ignited by “allegations of misconduct by a prominent figure” and decided by English judges of the Supreme Court of Bombay. It castigates Hindu religion and makes “seriously blasphemous comments” against Lord Krishna as well as devotional songs and hymns, the petition claimed.
The petitioners argued that the film is being sought to be released in a secretive manner without a trailer or any promotional events to prevent access to the storyline.
Considering the submissions of of the Pustimargis, Justice Sangeeta Vishen passed an interim order staying the release of the movie. The next hearing of the case has been set for June 18.
#BoycottNetflix had been trending on social media, with several netizens saying claiming that Netflix has been promoting ‘anti-Hindu’ content.
