PIL in SC seeking to revoke certificate of film 'Adipurush'
Jun 27, 2023
New Delhi [India], June 27 : A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking direction to revoke the certificate of the film 'Adipurush', a movie based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, for public exhibition.
The public interest litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Mamta Rani sought an exhibition ban on Om Raut's 'Adipurush' which hurt the sentiments of Hindus and devotees of various deities depicted in the movie by "destroying their fundamental values and characters" and modifying the basic structure of Valmiki Ramayana.
The plea filed through advocates Shailendra Mani Tripathi, Ratnesh Kumar Shukla and Akash Awana sought direction "to protect and preserve all the religious manuscripts and texts in their original form at all platforms and prohibit distortion of the above-said texts/manuscripts by anyone."
The plea also strongly objected to some dialogues in the movie, saying that only 'gully boys' use such 'derogatory' language.
"The sacred fundamental texts and manuscripts are the basic spiritual and physical tenets of a cultured and civilized society which a common man of such a society relies [on] and lives [by]. A man becomes an orphan like a fallen leave from the branch of a tree without his culture and traditions," the petitioner stated.
It added, "Besides this, the depiction of the physical features and communication styles of Hindu gods - Rama and Hanuman - are complete distortions of not only the characters but also the very fundamental values for which they are worshipped".
The petitioner expressed the apprehension that such a depiction would influence the general public into believing in "different values and morals".
It further alleged that the depiction of Sita is "inappropriate and vulgar". The petitioner has contended that 'Adipurush' is a mockery of Valmiki Ramayana, which has been fuelled by personal commercial gain.
"The whole story of the film has destroyed and modified every aspect of the core values of the characters, their language and each authentic event," it stated.
The movie, which draws inspiration from the revered Hindu epic Ramayana, faced heavy criticism post-release.
The film stars Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti as Goddess Sita, Sunny Singh as Laxman, and Saif Ali Khan as Ravana, the mythical hydra-headed demon king in the epic.
