New Delhi: Timeline of the Adipurush controversy: Despite being one of the most anticipated films of the year, the Prabhas-starring Adipurush has encountered its fair share of controversy. Before the film's June 16, 2023 release, here is a look at all the controversy it has sparked, from the teaser to Kriti Sanin and Om Raut's visit at the Lord Venkateswara temple.


Saif Ali Khan's Comment On Ravana


Nearly three years have passed since Adipurush's initial controversy. In a 2020 interview, Saif Ali Khan, who will play the role of Ravana in the next movie starring Prabhas, said that the movie would highlight a more "humane" aspect of Ravana. However, the B-town actor then apologised for his remark. The actor later on said, "I would like to sincerely apologize to everybody and withdraw my statement. Lord Ram has always been the symbol of righteousness and heroism for me. Adipurush is about celebrating the victory of good over evil."


Adipurush poster being accused of plagiarism


In October 2022, when Prabhas' poster portraying Lord Ram was shared, plagiarism claims were made right away. Adipurush's poster, according to a Mumbai animation studio named Vaanarsena, was copied from the poster for their animated movie Lord Shiva.


Controversy around Adipurush teaser


When the teaser was released, everyone from social media users to political leaders—had something to say about it. While Narottam Mishra, the home minister for Madhya Pradesh, criticised the teaser for misrepresenting Hindus, the top priest of the Ayodhya Ram shrine urged that Adipurush be banned for its inaccurate depiction of Lord Ram and Hanuman. In addition, attorney Himanshu Srivastava filed a case saying that the teaser of the movie had indecent depictions of Lord Ram, Sita, Hanuman, and Ravana against five individuals, including Om Raut, Prabhas, and Saif Ali Khan.


It was also accused of stealing sequences from Hollywood blockbusters like Game of Thrones, Planet of the Apes, Jungle Book, and others. Who can forget how severely the trailer was mocked for both its subpar animation and VFX?



Calls for the film's ban


After the posters and teasers were released, attorney Raj Gaurav petitioned a Delhi court for a permanent injunction against the producers Bhushan Kumar and Om Raut, claiming that they had misrepresented the fundamentals of the Ramayana. Even many online users demanded the banning of the Prabhas-starring movie because it was "misrepresenting culture."


Adipurush poster sparks controversy again


Against producers, artists, and director Om Raut, a new complaint was made in April of this year. The complaint, which was filed by Sanjay Dinanath Tiwari through Mumbai High Court Attorneys Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra, claimed that "the filmmaker Om Raut has inappropriately displayed the character of the Hindi religious text Ramcharitmanas in the new poster of the film, hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu religion society."


Adipurush makers slammed by concept artists for plagiarism


Concept artist Pratik Sanghar charged Vaanarsena Studios for stealing his designs. He posted something on social media saying, "People working on it have no passion or love for the project, instead they are finding and using cheap tricks to make this project." The'real' Pratik Sanghar, however, was eager to point out that the film's creators had not plagiarised his work.


Director Om Raut kisses Kriti Sanon at Tirupati Temple


Just one week before the release of Adipurush, images and video of director Om Raut kissing actress Kriti Sanon good-bye at the Lord Venkateswara shrine in Tirupati went viral on social media.


 






Inspite of all the controversies around the film, 'Adipurush' starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Singh and Devdatta Nage, the Om Raut directorial is one of the most awaited films of the year.


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