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From PK to Parzania: Films that were at the centre of controversy for hurting religious sentiments
Ram Leela and Padmaavat are examples of films that found themselves in murky waters for hurting religious sentiments.
Did you know these movies were boycotted for their social commentary?
Recently, the upcoming movie Thank God featuring Sidharth Malhotra and Ajay Devgn has found itself in the midst of controversy. The complaint has been filed by the Kayastha community, the worshippers of Lord Chitragupta who allege that the film ridicules the figure and makes objectionable remarks at him which hurt their religious sentiments. It is not the first time that a Bollywood movie has made headlines due to its controversial content, with many films earning the ire of the public who took offense to its narrative. From PK to Parzania, check out movies that came under the garb of religious controversies,
1/5
PK
The 2014 Rajkumar Hirani-directed film features Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. It revolves around the story of an alien who arrives on Earth to learn the lifestyle of humans and gets stuck on the planet after inadvertently hurting the religious sentiments of the people in a village. On his mission to get back home, he has to fight these religious gurus and find his way back home. A plea was filed in the court against the film alleging that it hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community and must be banned. The plea was dismissed by the Delhi High Court which said that it is the right of an artist to portray social realities in all their forms.
2/5
Ram Leela
Ram Leela is a 2013 romantic drama film that features Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in their first on-screen pairing. The film tells the story of two families who are at war with each other for a long time. Things turn awry when the man and woman from the two families fall in love, and fight against all odds to be together. People alleged that the film hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus as the film contained sex, violence and vulgarity which was not considered appropriate for Indian society.
3/5
Padmaavat
Padmaavat is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and features Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor in lead roles. Based on a piece of literature named Padmavat, the film depicts the life of queen Padmavati and her struggle to keep her kingdom secured from the ruthless king, Alauddin Khalji. During its making, the film witnessed protests from people of the Rajput community. They claimed that the film showcased their queen and their clan in bad light which hurt their sentiments. Some people were reportedly set to behead the director and actors of the film.
4/5
OMG: Oh My God
The Umesh Shukla-directed comedy-drama film was released in 2012. It features Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal in lead roles. It follows the story of a man who files a lawsuit against God after his shop gets destroyed in an earthquake. His movement starts a nationwide fight against the issue and he tries and solves the grievances of all those citizens. The film saw protests happening in the areas of Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur and other places in Punjab. People alleged that it hurt their sentiments as the film makes derogatory remarks about Hindu gods.
5/5
Parzania
Parzania was directed by Rahul Dholakia and featured Sarika and Naseeruddin Shah in lead roles. Inspired by the director’s true experiences, it follows the story of a ten-year-old boy who goes missing during the Mumbai riots after the Godhra train was lit on fire. The film was mired in controversy when Hindu clans stated that it was biassed towards the Muslims and showed Hindus in a bad light,