After Junaid Khan's 'Maharaj' gets clean chit from court, makers say 'never produced a film that tarnished the reputation of our country'

Maharaj poster

On Friday, the Gujarat High Court lifted its temporary stay on the release of Aamir Khan's son, Junaid Khan's, debut film 'Maharaj.' After the court's verdict, streaming platform Netflix immediately dropped the film, a week after it's scheduled release.

Following the decision by the court, the makers of the film took to Instagram to express their gratitude.

"We are grateful to the judiciary for allowing the release of Maharaj, a film that celebrates one of the most important social reformers of our country, Karsandas Mulji," the post read.

"Yash Raj Films has a 50-year-old legacy of championing India, its stories, its people, culture & heritage. We have never produced a film that tarnished the reputation of our country or our countrymen," the post added.

The court ruled that the film, based on events related to the 1862 Maharaj Libel Case, was not intended to hurt the sentiments of any community. Some members of the Pushtimarg sect had filed a petition against its release on Netflix, claiming that it hurt religious sentiments.

After the hearing, one of the petitioners, Shailesh Patwari stated, "The hearing had been going on for a few days, and the judge didn't find anything objectionable in this film. We accept the High Court's decision because the High Court judge has sanctioned it. We don't need any more evidence beyond this."

'Maharaj,' which focuses on an 1862 libel case involving Vaishnavite religious leader and social reformer Karsandas Mulji, is currently streaming on Netflix.

Why the Gujarat HC put a stay on the film's release?

According to a report in India Today, the stay order was issued on a petition filed on behalf of devotees of Lord Krishna and followers of Vallabhacharya, which is the Pushtimarg sect." As per the petition, the firm that narrates the story of the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 can potentially incite violence against the followers of the sect and cause chaos in public order.

The petition points out that the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 was based on allegations of misconduct by a prominent figure and ruled over by the English Judges of the Supreme Court of Bombay. It makes "seriously blasphemous comments against Lord Krishna as well as devotional songs and hymns."

The petitioners also highlighted that the film is being released with insufficient promotional materials including a missing trailer. The petitioners believed that the reason behind the same was to provide limited access to the story of the film