The release of Yash Raj Films’ Maharaj on Netflix tomorrow (June 14) seems uncertain. The Gujarat high court today (June 13) granted an ex parte temporary stay on the film’s release on a petition filed by a group of Hindus belonging to the Pushtimarg sect. The petitioners stated that the film, based on the Maharaj Libel case of 1862, would hurt the religious sentiments of the community.
The film, which has been in the eye of a controversy since almost 10 days, shows a Hindu religious leader of the nineteenth century in the state of Gujarat in negative light. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, among others, have been asking members of the Hindu community to boycott the film starring Junaid Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat, and directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra.