‘Adipurush depicts deities wrongly,’ says MP minister Narottam Mishra, warns director Om Raut of legal action

Adipurush, which is already battling negative reviews about the quality of VFX, may have to face legal trouble as well. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra has threatened legal action against the Om Raut directorial, accusing the makers of the ‘wrong’ depiction of Hindu deities. Adipurush is inspired by the epic Ramayana and stars Prabhas as Raghava, Kriti Sanon as Janaki, and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh, based on Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, and Ravana respectively. Also Read| Adipurush’s bad CGI makes Twitter miss Ramayana The Legend Of Prince Rama

Narottam Mishra, who is also the spokesperson of the Madhya Pradesh Government, spoke to reporters days after the release of Adipurush’s teaser and raised objections about it. He particularly alleged that the version of Lord Hanuman in the film is depicted wrongfully.

As per PTI, he said, “I have seen the trailer of Adipurush. There are objectionable scenes in it. The dresses and look of Hindu deities as seen in the trailer were not acceptable. Hanuman ji is shown wearing leather, whereas the description (in the scriptures) of the deity’s costume is different… These are scenes that hurt religious sentiments. I am writing a letter to Om Raut to remove all such scenes from the film. If not removed, we will consider legal action.” He also cited a religious text in support of his claims, noting the devotional hymn Hanuman Chalisa describes the attire of the deity which is different than what is shown in the film.

Previously, BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash had raised objections about Adipurush’s teaser. She told ANI, “I am saddened by the fact that the director let alone researching the Valmiki’s Ramayana, Kamba Ramayana or Tulsidasa’s Ramayana, or the umpteen numbers of interpretations of Ramayana that are available across board as far as Thailand where they do beautiful performances of the Ramayana. The least he could have done is research our own films; there are so many Kannada films, Telugu films, Tamil films, which show how Raavana looked.”

Adipurush is scheduled to hit the theatres on January 12, 2023, in IMAX and 3D. It will be released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada languages. Produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar of T-series, Raut, Prasad Sutar, and Rajesh Nair of Retrophiles, the film is touted to be one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.