The Maharashtra government has requested the Union government to re-examine the Marathi movie Khalid ka Shivaji and halt its release, following complaints by right-wing organisations alleging inaccurate portrayal of history. The Congress has criticised the government, calling it a “ridiculous and condemnable attempt to diminish the towering stature of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj”. The movie was officially screened at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
While citing historical texts, Congress leader Sachin Sawant said, “Why can’t Maharaj be Khalid’s hero? Why is the BJP so disturbed if Muslims identify with the values of Shivaji Maharaj? Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a Rayatecha Raja —a king of the people — not a ruler of any one community.”
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar said the government would not tolerate the perversion of history. The controversy escalated after protestors raised slogans against the film during a recent State festival.
“The government has taken a serious note of the complaints received about the movie. There is a demand to ban the movie. The CBFC comes under the jurisdiction of the Union government. We want to examine how the movie received Censor Board certification - if the committee had studied the movie properly. We also want to know how the movie was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, and if there is any mischief in it. We are going to probe all of it,” Mr. Shelar said.
