Protests against Adipurush in parts of UP, Ayodhya seers seek ban on its screening

Lucknow (UP): Seers in Ayodhya demanded an immediate ban on "Adipurush" saying its dialogues made their "blood boil" as different parts of Uttar Pradesh witnessed protests against the film on Monday.

A group of people staged a protest in Varanasi and tore posters of the film and the Hindu Mahasabha lodged a complaint with the Lucknow police against its makers and actors. A Hindu outfit also staged a protest outside a theatre in the temple town of Mathura.

Joining the chorus against the film, the Samajwadi Party said the faithful are hurt by its "cheap and superficial dialogues" and that the film was part of an "agenda".

"Adipurush", a retelling of the epic Ramayana directed by Om Raut, was released on Friday. It has been panned over its colloquial dialogues and controversial depiction of some characters.

Seers in Ayodhya, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, alleged that the film was made as part of a foreign conspiracy against Hinduism and its culture.

Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, said, "The film's dialogues make our blood boil. The film should be banned immediately. The government should ensure that this does not happen again." He alleged, "Inke paatro mein, Ram, Hanuman aur Sita ko Muslim paatra ki tarah dikhaya gaya hai. Yeh jaanbujhkar kiya gaya hai (In the movie, the characters of Ram, Hanuman and Sita have been shown as Muslim characters. It has been done intentionally)."

Mahant Ram Das, the chief priest of the Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya, alleged that the film was made under a "foreign conspiracy against Hindu religion and culture".

"The dialogues delivered by the characters playing Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman and Goddess Sita will destroy the ideal culture of Ramayana. We urge the Centre that the film should be banned immediately. A religious film, before being cleared, should be reviewed by Hindu religious leaders," he said.

Protesting against the film in Varanasi, activists of a Hindu outfit tore its posters and appealed to people not to watch it.

The activists gathered at a temple and marched to a mall in the Sigra area, raising slogans against the film.

They demanded that its screening be stopped and tried to enter the mall, but were stopped by police.

The protesters said the film "mocks our religion and we are not going to tolerate it at any cost. The film must be banned in Uttar Pradesh." In state capital Lucknow, office-bearers of the Hindu Mahasabha lodged a complaint at Hazratganj police station and demanded that a case be registered against the actors, producer and director of the film. They said the film has "insulted" the religion, Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lord Hanuman.

"The illustration in the film, the costume worn by the artistes, dialogues and choice of words are wrong. They have also portrayed the real Ramayan in a wrong manner," according to the complaint filed by Hindu Mahasabha spokesperson Shishir Chaturvedi.

A case is yet to be registered in this connection, police said.

"Police have received the complaint and the matter is being investigated. A case has not been registered in this matter yet," Assistant Commissioner of Police Arvind Kumar Verma told PTI.

In Mathura, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha activists staged a protest outside a cinema in the Govind Nagar police station area and raised slogans against the film.

Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha national treasurer Dinesh Sharma said that through the film's dialogues, an attempt has been made to tarnish the image of the Sanatan culture and this has caused "immense pain to us." Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the Censor Board should check the "political character certificate" of those who play with the faith of people by making films with an agenda using the money of their political masters.

"Has the Censor Board become Dhritarashtra?" he asked in a tweet. Dhritarashtra, the father of the Kauravas, was a blind king in the epic Mahabharata.

Another Samajwadi Party leader, Shivpal Yadav, alleged that efforts are being made to belittle the great and inspiring character of Lord Ram and his story through cinema with "cheap and superficial dialogues".

"Crores of Sanatani believers are hurt. For this act, the so-called 'sanatani' BJP people should tender an apology to the country...do not defame Lord Ram," he tweeted in Hindi.