Har Har Mahadev Controversy: Devendra Fadnavis Warns Of Action Against People Disrupting Screening

The screening of the Marathi movie ‘Har Har Mahadev’ has been stalled in many places by various groups claiming that the film ‘distorts history’.

Marathi movie ‘Har Har Mahadev’ stars Sharad Kelkar, Subodh Bhave and Nitish Chavan

Source : Twitter

New Delhi: Marathi movie ‘Har Har Mahadev’ starring Sharad Kelkar, Subodh Bhave and Nitish Chavan is currently running in the theatres. The film is based on the story of Baji Prabhu Deshpande, a general of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who, along with his army of 300 soldiers, fought with 12,000 Bijapuri soldiers. 

The screening of the film has been stalled in many places by various groups claiming that the film ‘distorts history’. The screening of the film was stalled in Pune and Thane on Monday and in Nashik on Tuesday. 

In Pune city, the show was disrupted by members of a Maratha outfit, while in Thane NCP leader and former minister Jitendra Awhad allegedly led activists to stall the night screening of the movie at a multiplex. In Nashik activists of Swarajya Sanghatana disrupted the screening. 

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has now warned the people involved in such incidents. “Entering a movie theatre and beating up moviegoers will not be tolerated. Action will be taken against the (alleged) perpetrators. People are permitted to register their opposition in a democratic way. I have not seen the movie and I am not aware of the controversy,” he was quoted as saying by PTI. 

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against Jitendra Awhad and at least 100 others for allegedly roughing up spectators at a multiplex screening the Marathi movie "Har Har Mahadev", according to PTI. 

The incident occurred on Monday night when Awhad and his supporters allegedly gatecrashed into the multiplex in Thane city and disrupted the show over the alleged "distortion of history". 

According to PTI, the complaint stated that when spectators demanded a refund and passed comments regarding the disruption, Awhad and his supporters roughed up some of them. 

A case has been registered against Awhad on the complaint of a spectator under various sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to unlawful assembly and sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 ( Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and the Maharashtra Police Act. 

After the disruption, the show was resumed by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists. 

(With inputs from PTI)