Adipurush: Delhi HC Declines Urgent Listing Of Plea Seeking Ban On The Movie

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused urgent hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking ban on the movie Adipurush.

The case was mentioned before a vacation bench comprising Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju and Justice Amit Mahajan.

The bench stated that there was no immediate urgency in the matter and it will be considered on 30^th June, 2023.

The counsel representing the petitioner organization, Hindu Sena, informed the Bench about the presence of several controversial scenes in the movie, which were allegedly impacting India’s diplomatic relations with other nations.

“The movie affects India’s international relations. Even Nepal has banned the film,” the counsel stated.

However, the Bench stated that the film has already been released and there is no urgency in the matter.

“There is no urgency, sir. Please come back on June 30,” Justice Ganju stated.

The movie, featuring renowned actors such as Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan, and Kriti Sanon, was released in theaters on June 16. However, since its release, numerous individuals have expressed objections to certain dialogues in the film and the portrayal of iconic characters like Hanuman and Ravana.

Vishnu Gupta, the National President of Hindu Sena, filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on the movie. The petition asserts that Hindu deities and characters such as Lord Rama, Sita, Hanuman, and Ravana have been depicted inaccurately, contradicting their descriptions in the epic Ramayana.

According to the plea, the portrayal of characters like Ravana, portrayed by Saif Ali Khan, deviates significantly from the essence of “Indian civilization.” Specifically, it states that Ravana’s bearded appearance in the film “hurts the sentiments of the Hindu community” as the Hindu Brahmin Ravana is depicted in an inappropriate manner, engaging in appalling actions.

“Since these are essentially religious leaders/characters, the film makers, producers, and actors cannot be permitted to take an unimpeded creative liberty to commercialize the religious leaders/characters, their faces, personalities and looks including hair. This is a sheer violation of religious rights under Article 25 of the Constitution of India,” the petition noted.

The petition further contends that Hindus hold a specific perception of the representations of Ram, Sita, and Hanuman, and any alteration or tampering with these depictions by film producers, directors, and actors would infringe upon their fundamental rights. Consequently, the petition asserts that such feature films should not be allowed for public screening until the film producers and directors undertake corrective measures as demanded.