The Gujarat High Court on Friday lifted the interim stay on the release of “Maharaj”, debut film of Bollywood star Aamir Khan’s son Junaid, saying that the movie was not targeted at hurting the sentiments of any community.
The film is based on an 1862 libel case involving a Vaishnavite religious leader and social reformer Karsandas Mulji.
Some members of the Pushtimarg sect had filed a petition against its release on Netflix, claiming that it hurts religious sentiments.
The petitioners claimed that the British-era court which decided the 1862 libel case castigated the Hindu religion and made blasphemous comments against Lord Krishna as well as certain devotional songs and hymns.
The court today noted that the movie has been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a film-certification body, and it does not target the sect.
On June 13, the court had placed an interim stay on the release of the movie on the OTT platform.
Earlier, the petitioners had approached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, requesting it to take immediate measures to block the film’s release. However, there was no response or action from the ministry, it was stated.