Sharad Kelkar-starrer Marathi film ‘Har Har Mahadev’ has landed in a major controversy after several Maratha outfits accused the makers of distorting historical facts. They have reportedly sought a ban on the film's screening in parts of Maharashtra, including Pune and Thane.
Sharad Kelkar-starrer 'Har Har Mahadev, A Marathi film that had a pan-India release last month, has found itself in the midst of a controversy. On the charge of tampering with history, some Maratha outfits in Maharashtra have taken out protests on the streets in Pune and Thane, against the film. The protestors have barred the film from screening in theaters.
According to media reports, the protest was organized in Pune city under the leadership of members of a Maratha outfit and in Thane, it was held by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)'s leader and former minister, Jitendra Awhad. Those protesting against the film have claimed that the makers have distorted the historical facts regarding the portrayal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Meanwhile, former BJP MP and a descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, has also reportedly criticized the Marathi film 'Har Har Mahadev' and Mahesh Manjarekar's upcoming film 'Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat', starring Akshay Kumar.
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Apart from this, the 'Sambhaji Brigade', led by Santosh Shinde claimed that history has been tampered with in 'Har Har Mahadev', which is why the outfit stopped the screening of the film at a cinema hall in Pune, and also warned the owner of the theater.
'Har Har Mahadev' is a Marathi film based on the story of Baji Prabhu Deshpande, the Maratha general of Shivaji Maharaj. He fought a war against 12,000 Bijapuri soldiers with his army of 300 Maratha soldiers.
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Starring Sharad Kelkar as 'Baji Prabhu Deshpande', the film is being liked a lot by both the critics and the audience. Not only the story of the film, but the performance of its star cast is also being praised a lot. However, the protestors claim that the portrayal of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the film has been wrongly shown.
Har Har Mahadev box office: Released in multiple languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu, the film is doing decent business at the box office. As per the initial figures 'Har Har Mahadev', which is made on the budget of Rs 15 crore, has so far collected Rs 9.75 crore. Released in the theaters on October 25, the film has already recovered 65 per cent of it cost.