2024 Film controversy: These films made headlines for religious and social reasons
Films like ‘The Sabarmati Report’, ‘Maharaj’, ‘Hum Do Hamare Barah’, and ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ have been at the centre of controversies, raising questions over religious and cultural sensibilities.
The year 2024 was memorable and full of controversies for Indian cinema. This year many such films were released, entertaining the audience a lot and were successful at the box office. At the same time, some films gave rise to controversies due to their subject matter and presentation. Some of these films were accused of hurting religious sentiments, while some were accused of playing with social and cultural sensibilities. This list includes popular films like 'The Sabarmati Report', 'Maharaj', 'Hum Do Hamare Baarah', and 'Kalki 2898 AD', which not only became the center of debate due to their subjects and presentation but also faced legal battles. Let us know about the four films that faced controversies this year:
Maharaj
The list of controversial films released this year also includes the name of Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan's first film 'Maharaj'. The film was accused of hurting the sentiments of Hinduism. The film based on Saurabh Shah's novel is produced by YRF Entertainment. The Gujarat High Court had banned the release of the film on the basis of a petition by a Hindu group, which claimed that the film could incite violence against the followers of the Hindu sect. Along with Junaid Khan, the film stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey and Sharvari Wagh in important roles. 'Maharaj' was released on Netflix on June 21.
Hum Do Hamare Baarah
Directed by Kamal Chandra, the film 'Hum Do Hamare Baarah' is produced by Ravi S Gupta, Birendra Bhagat, Sanjay Nagpal and Sheo Balak Singh. The film is co-produced by Triloki Prasad. The film, based on the problem of increasing population, stars Annu Kapoor, Ashwini Kalsekar, Rahul Bagga, Paritosh Tiwari, Parth Samthan, Manoj Joshi, debutant Aditi Bhatpahari and other stars in important roles. The release of the film was initially banned by the Supreme Court on June 13. After the Bombay High Court allowed the release of the film, it was released on June 21, 2024. The film was accused of targeting the Muslim community.
Kalki 2898 AD
Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone starrer 'Kalki 2898 AD' was also in the midst of controversy. Kalki Peethadheeshwar Acharya Pramod Krishnam of Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, had sent a notice to the film producer, director and actors regarding the film, in which he had accused them of tampering with religious facts.
The Sabarmati Report
Producer Ekta Kapoor and director Dheeraj Sarna's film 'The Sabarmati Report' was released on the big screen on 15 November. There was a lot of uproar over the film based on the Godhra incident in Gujarat and the film remained in controversies. The S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire in the year 2002. There were kar sevaks in this coach, who were coming from Ayodhya. 59 people lost their lives in this. In such a situation, there was a controversy over Hindu-Muslim issues. Vikrant Massey, Rashi Khanna, Riddhi Dogra's film was made tax free in many states of the country including Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.