Court stays release of Aamir Khan’s son’s film ‘Maharaj’ on Hindu group’s plea

The Gujarat High Court on Thursday stayed the release of Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan’s debut film ‘Maharaj’ following a plea by a Hindu group.

Which claimed that the movie would incite violence against followers of a Hindu sect. The film directed by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Aditya Chopra was slated for release on Netflix on June 14.

The stay order was issued on a petition filed on behalf of devotees of Lord Krishna and followers of Vallabhacharya, which is the Pustimarg sect. The petition alleged that the movie, apparently based on the Maharaj libel case of 1862, is likely to affect public order and incite violence against the followers of the sect and the Hindu religion.

According to the petition, the Maharaj libel case of 1862, decided by the English Judges of the Supreme Court of Bombay, castigates the Hindu religion and makes “seriously blasphemous comments” against Lord Krishna as well as devotional songs and hymns.

The group also argued that the movie is being sought to be released in a secretive manner without a trailer or any promotional events to prevent access to the storyline. It was also argued that if such a film is permitted to be released, their religious sentiments would be seriously hurt, and it would result in irreparable loss.

Meanwhile, a ‘Boycott Netflix’ call was trending on social media, with several people coming out against the move, claiming that Netflix has been promoting ‘anti-Hindu’ content.