The Delhi High Court on Wednesday disposed of a plea raising a grievance against Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar-starrer Samrat Prithviraj on the pretext that the film allegedly depicts the ruler as a Rajput King and not a Gurjar King.
The development ensued after the counsels representing the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the producer of the film categorically stated before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Sachin Datta that the film does not make any reference whatsoever to the caste of the titular character.
The film, which is produced under the banner of Yash Raj Films, is scheduled to hit theatres on June 3. It is based on the epic poem about King Prithviraj Chauhan’s life Prithviraj Raso by Chand Bardai. It was originally titled Prithviraj, but was renamed Samrat Prithviraj following litigation.
The instant petition has been filed by Advocate Rakesh Kumar on behalf of Gurjar Samaj Sarv Sangathan Sabha Ekta Samanya Samiti. The petitioner claimed that there is a large volume of literature demonstrating Prithviraj Chauhan as a Gurjar leader. It was further claimed that even the text Prithviraj Raso depicted Prithviraj Chauhan and his father as Gurjar Kings.
During the course of hearing today, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and the counsel appearing on behalf on YRF submitted that the movie is caste neutral and that the characters in the said film including that of Prithviraj Chauhan are neither portrayed as Rajputs nor as Gurjars.
It was also submitted that only the poster of the film has been produced and circulated by the production company, which does not describe the caste of the ruler and that other uploads on different websites in relation to the movie describing Prithviraj Chauhan as a Rajput King have not been posted by them.
In light of the said statement, the counsel for the petitioner submitted that he is satisfied and thereby does not wish to press the petition any further. Accordingly, the Bench disposed of the plea.