Maharaj on Netflix: Here's why Aamir Khan's son Junaid's debut film is not releasing today

Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan's debut film Maharaj was all set to release on an OTT platform on Friday, June 14. The film's release, however, has been stayed by the Gujarat High Court following a plea by a Hindu group, which claimed that the film can potentially incite communal violence. 

Helmed by Siddharth P Malhotra, Maharaj also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Shalini Pandey in key roles and is a period film.

The controversy surrounding Maharaj

According to reports, 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.” 

The film, which revolves around the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, could potentially cause a rupture in public order and even incite violence against the followers of the sect.

The Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 was a legal battle between a reformer and journalist who had made allegations against a prominent religious leader of misconduct. The petition points out that the case was 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.”

Meanwhile, the complaint also points out that the film has been planned to be released without sufficient promotional materials, including a trailer, so that there is limited access to the story. That could cause serious hurt to the sentiments. On these grounds, Justice Sangeeta Vishen of the Gujarat High Court passed an interim order staying the release of the movie in any manner whatsoever. 

The matter has been now scheduled for a hearing on June 18.

About Maharaj the film

Netflix, on which the film is set to release, has not given out much details about the film. As per the synopsis, the film is set in 1862.

"A time when there were only three universities in India, Rabindranath Tagore is a year old and the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 continues to fan the flames of independence. Against all odds, one man takes a courageous stand in a landmark legal battle, a true story that’s now come to light in Maharaj — more than 160 years later," reads the synopsis of the film. 

“Karsandas Mulji, a journalist and social reformer, was a pioneering advocate for women’s rights and social reform. A student at Elphinstone College in Mumbai and a protégé of the scholar-leader Dadabhai Naoroji, he wrote on widow remarriage, stood up for the oppressed, and sowed the seeds of reform in society. It all came to a head in the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, which was ignited by allegations of misconduct by a prominent figure, the case garnered widespread attention and scrutiny, setting the stage for what many consider to be one of the most significant legal battles of all time,” it added.

Junaid Khan, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan's son, plays Karsandas Mulji while Jaideep Ahlawat plays a supreme religious leader in the film.