Jaipur: Senior BJP leader and former leader of the opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Rajendra Rathore, has objected to a song dedicated to Maharana Pratap being used during a shootout scene picturised on Divyenndu's Munna Tripathi in "Mirzapur The Movie".
Rathore has written a letter to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati and demanded that the song 'Shoorveer', sung by him, be removed from the film.
He also urged the board to ensure that songs, symbols and references associated with historical personalities are not used in a manner that could hurt public sentiments.
"The use of Rapperiya Baalam's 'Shoorveer' song in 'Mirzapur The Movie' alongside gangsters, drug peddlers and criminal characters is extremely objectionable and hurts public sentiments," Rathore said in the letter written to the CBFC.
Rathore claimed that such a portrayal amounted to disrespect towards Maharana Pratap and the historical and cultural heritage associated with him.
He said there was a clear distinction between the values represented by Maharana Pratap and those associated with gangster characters.
"Linking these two completely different contexts together is inappropriate," he said, adding that objections were also being raised on social media over the use of the song.
"I request the Central Board of Film Certification to remove the words of the 'Shoorveer' song from 'Mirzapur The Movie'," Rathore said, urging the censor board to ensure that similar such used is not permitted in future.
Former royal and direct descendant of Maharana Pratap, Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, BJP MLA from Rajsamand, has called for strict action by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over what he described as the "illegal and incorrect" use of the song. "This has happened once too often. I really wonder if filmmakers would use something like this for contemporary leaders and get away with it. It's easy to debase history, and it should not be allowed," he said.
Bollywood forever testing the barriers of disgust, as evinced in the picturisation of the song "Shoorveer" in the film "Mirzapur: The Movie".#Bollywood #Mirzapur #Shoorveer #CulturalSensitivity #Mewar #MewarRoyalFamily #MaharanaPratap #FilmControversy
Composed and sung by Rapperiya Balam, the stage name of singer Ashok Manda Bishnoi, the song is about the valour of Maharana Pratap and his loyal horse Chetak in the battle of Haldighati with Mughal army.
Bishnoi also shared the letter on his Instagram. He had earlier alleged that the song was used in the movie without his permission.
In a video last week, the singer said, "Today my heart is broken, but you will say, 'brother, you should be happy that your song features in 'Mirzapur'. But the 'Mirzapur' team didn't take my permission that we are using your song'. Then who gave them the permission? And this song is dedicated to Maharana Pratap and it is being used in the movie to glorify villains. Is this right?.. This is an insult to Rajasthan and Maharana Pratap."
'Shoorveer' appears in the climax sequence of Mirzapur: The Movie, overlaid on scenes of gangster violence and shootouts, including a moment where Divyendu Sharma’s character (Munna Bhaiya) is shown firing a gun. The makers of Mirzapur are yet to react to these accusations. Mirzapur: The Movie, released on September 4, is directed by Gurmeet Singh and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under the banner of Excel Entertainment.
(Story compiled by Sabitha with PTI inputs)