Adipurush row: Delhi HC denies urgent hearing of plea seeking ban on Prabhas-Kriti Sanon starrer

Om Raut-directed Adipurush, starring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon, has landed in the hot soup for its recreation of Ramayana. However, in a relief to the filmmakers, the Delhi High Court denied an urgent hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought a ban on the screening of Adipurush. 

A vacation bench of Justices Tara Vitasta Ganju and Amit Mahajan, said that there was no urgency in the matter and now it will be considered on June 30, as per a report in Bar and Bench.

The petitioner, Hindu Sena, told the court that Adipurush has several controversial scenes, some of which are affecting India’s relationship with other countries. The counsel said that “even Nepal has banned the film”. 

The bench argued that the film has already been released, hence there is no urgency in the matter. 

Also watch: Adipurush, starring Prabhas, sees massive fall after great weekend business at box office; inappropriate depictions

As per the plea that sought a ban on the film, Hindu gods such as Lord Rama, Sita, Lord Hanuman, and even Ravana have been depicted in an inaccurate manner, and is contrary to what is described in the epic Ramanyana. The petition said that Ravana, played by Saif Ali Khan, is completely detached from the ‘Indian civilisation’ and raised objections to his bearded look. The group said that the filmmakers cannot be permitted to commercialise religious leaders and characters. 

Hindus have a particular view of the image of Lord Rama and any tampering with these images would be a violation of their fundamental rights. 

Also watch: AI version of Adipurush stars Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita and Saif Ali Khan as Ravan ‘look better than the original’

Not only the Hindu Sena group, the  All-Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for an immediate ban order on Adipurush. They also sought an FIR against director Om Raut and writer Manoj Muntashir. They said that Adipurush is defaming the image of Lord Rama and Lord Hanumana, and hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and Sanatan Dharma. 

Meanwhile, the box office collection of Adipurush saw a dramatic decline due to negative word of mouth and negative reviews. Early estimates by Sacnilk suggests that the Prabhas-Kriti Sanon starrer earned only about Rs 10.80 crore on the fifth day, which is a nosedive from its Rs 86.75 crore earning on the first day. 

Also read: Cinema workers body requests PM Modi to immediately order ban on Prabhas film, seek FIR against Om Raut, Manoj Muntashir 

Also read: Adipurush box office collection: Prabhas' film sees massive drop in earnings; earns Rs 10.80 cr on day 5