Image of Sita is ‘vulgar’, language only used by ‘Gully Boys’: PIL in SC seeking ban on Adipurush
The plea was aimed at protecting and preserving all religious manuscripts and texts in their original form on all platforms and prohibiting any distortion of the aforementioned texts/manuscripts by anyone.
New Delhi: Amid criticism over the misrepresentation of characters of the epic Ramayana in the movie ‘Adipurush’, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed with the Supreme Court on Friday to ban the movie and its further showing on OTT platforms. The petition alleges that the film hurts the religious feelings of a “large section of society” because of the type of dialogue used by the characters in the film.
PIL filed by lawyer Mamta Rani requested an exhibition ban on Om Raut’s ‘Adipurush’ which hurts the feelings of Hindus and devotees of various deities portrayed in the film by “destroying their fundamental values and characters” and destroying the basic structure of Valmiki Ramayana to change.
Top points of the PIL filed in the Supreme Court against Adipurush
- The plea filed by lawyers Shailendra Mani Tripathi, Ratnesh Kumar Shukla and Akash Awana sought direction “to protect and preserve all religious manuscripts and texts in their original form on all platforms and to prohibit any distortion of the above texts/manuscripts by anyone .”
- It also alleges that the film slanders the image of gods by using foul language in the dialogues spoken by the actors portraying Hindu gods. “They should not go unpunished in the name of freedom of speech and expression.”
- The plea also strongly objected to some of the film’s dialogue, saying only “gully boys” use such “derogatory” language.
- “The sacred foundational texts and manuscripts are the basic spiritual and physical principles of a civilized and civilized society upon which a common man of such a society relies [on] and lives [by]. A man becomes an orphan like a fallen leaf from a branch of a tree without his culture and traditions,” said the petitioner.
- It added: “Moreover, the depiction of the physical attributes and communication styles of Hindu gods – Rama and Hanuman – are complete distortions of not only the characters, but also the very fundamental values for which they are worshiped”.
- The petitioner expressed the fear that such an image would lead the general public to believe in “different values and morals”.
- It said the depiction of Sita is “inappropriate and vulgar”. The petitioner has argued that ‘Adipurush’ is a mockery of Valmiki Ramayana, which has been fueled by personal commercial gain.
- “The entire story of the movie destroyed and altered every aspect of the characters’ core values, their language, and every authentic event,” it said.
The film, which is inspired by the revered Hindu epic Ramayana, was heavily criticized upon release. The film stars Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti as Goddess Sita, Sunny Singh as Laxman and Saif Ali Khan as Ravana, the mythical hydra-headed demon king in the epic.