LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC), on Monday, has been moved to ban Indian film ‘Padmaavat’ for distortion of Muslim history.
The petition submitted before the court states that the Bollywood movie portrays the history of Muslims in the subcontinent in a “wrong and distorted way” and that the role of Muslims was shown in a negative way and that the story of Padmaavat touches the sensitivity of Islam.
According to the petitioner, the movie violates Section 6 of The Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979, under which a film shall not be certified for public exhibition if it damages the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality.
The petition also objects to the portrayal of Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji in a negative light, contrary to the verified historical accounts.
Earlier, the Malaysian Censor Board placed a ban on the movie over concerns regarding “sensitivities of Islam”.
Malaysia’s National Film Censorship Board (LPF) has barred filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat from releasing in the country.
LPF chairman Mohammed Zamberi Abdul Aziz said in a statement that the storyline of the film itself is of grave concern as “Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country.”
“The storyline of the film touches on the sensitivities of Islam. That in itself is a matter of grave concern in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country,” Aziz said.
Based on the poem Padmavat by 16th-century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s, the film was embroiled in controversies in India after protests from a Rajput outfit Shri Rajput Karni Sena over allegations that the movie distorts historical facts and dents the pride of the Rajput community.
The film was eventually released in India on January 25, 2018.
After the film’s release, Karni Sena announced that it has decided to take back its protest and accepted that the movie glorifies the valour of the Rajputs.
Post-release, the film has had mixed reviews. It has been criticised by some sections for glorifying not just jauhar (self-immolation) but also for showing Alauddin Khilji as a demon-like figure.