The Allahabad High Court has sent a notice to Manoj Muntashir Shukla, the dialogue writer of the controversial film Adipurush. The court is hearing a plea against the film’s dialogues, which many have called distasteful given that the film is an adaptation of the epic Ramayana, considered holy by most Hindus. During the hearing on Tuesday, the court lashed out at Muntashir as well as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
On Tuesday, during the hearing, the court slammed the makers of the film over the dialogues and asked them why they were ‘testing the patience’ of a community. During the hearing, the court directed co-writer Manoj Muntashir Shukla to be made a party in the case, and issued notice directing him to respond within a week. "The nature of dialogues in the film is a big issue. Ramayana is a paragon for us. People read Ramcharitmanas before leaving home," the court said. The petition had demanded a ban on Adipurush.
The court also pulled up the CBFC asking if it had done its job properly while certifying the film. "It's good that people did not harm the law and order situation after watching the film. Lord Hanuman and Sita have been shown like they are nothing. These things should have been removed from the very beginning. Some scenes seem to be of "A" (adult) category. It's very difficult to watch such films," the court observed.
Talking about the controversial scenes and lines, the court asked, “What is it that the censor board keeps doing? What do you want to teach the future generations?”
Adipurush, directed by Om Raut, stars Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles. The film released on June 16 to largely negative reviews. It showed promise with massive collections at the box office on the opening weekend but post that, it fell steeply due to bad word of mouth. The film has been mired in controversies about its dialogue and characterisation of mythological figures.
