Aamir Khan’s Son Junaid's Debut Movie Stalled by Gujarat Court
Junaid Khan’s first image on the screen in the western Indian state will have to wait.
Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan may be keen to inherit his father’s presence on the screen with his upcoming debut-starrer Maharaj. But it seems the Gurjarat High Court has thrown a spanner in... the projector. The court has stalled the 1862 period court-room drama in response to a petition filed by a Hindu sect which claims that the film shows their then leader – Jadunath Brijratan Maharaj – in bad light.
The complainants, belonging to the Vallabhacharya sect, contend that the film which is about the infamous Maharaj Libel Case could stir up social discord and violence. The petitioners have no issues with Junaid’s role, which is that of upright journalist and women’s rights pioneer Karsandas Mulji. Their gripe is with the portrayal of Maharaj, the then leader of the sect, essayed by award-winning actor Jaideep Ahlawat.
The film’s narrative follows the story of the celebrated pressman publishing a defamatory newspaper article about the religious personality. This resulted in a highly publicised case when the latter took him to court on a libel charge. British judges at the Bombay High Court listened to testimony from over 60 witnesses before passing judgement in Karsandas’ favour. What’s more, the court ordered Maharaj to cough up the humongous sum of Rs. 11,500 in damages.
Maharaj, which was to release on Netflix on Friday, June 14th, 2024 has been indefinitely stalled by the state court. Interestingly, last month, the concerned production house of YRF Entertainment did not follow up the film’s press release with a teaser or a trailer. Here seems to be an unusual case of the controversy around a film resembling the controversial story it is aiming to portray.
