The Delhi High Court on Thursday expressed reservations over the use of “Shoorveer”, a song paying tribute to Maharana Pratap, as background music for a fight sequence in “Mirzapur: The Movie” and asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to decide within a week on the producer’s proposal to alter the scene.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, while hearing a public interest litigation challenging the use of the composition, orally observed that the manner in which the song had been used prima facie did not appear to be in good taste.
“We have come to a situation where we are revering violence,” the Bench orally remarked during the hearing.
The court was informed that the producer had already approached the CBFC seeking permission to make changes to the scene. The CBFC’s counsel said the authority would take a decision on the proposed alterations shortly.
The Bench directed that a decision be taken in the meantime and posted the PIL for further hearing on September 24.
Producer Says Song Used To Embellish Climax
Counsel appearing for the producer told the court that the song had been used only as background music to embellish the film’s climax, in which the protagonists fight goons.
The producer maintained that none of the characters had been compared with any historical figure and that the sequence was a fight between two factions rather than something connected with crime per se.
When the petitioner’s counsel expressed concern that the case could become infructuous because the film had already been released on OTT platforms, the Bench observed that if the makers themselves were modifying the song and background music, the purpose behind filing the petition would effectively be achieved.
PIL Alleges Undesirable Association With Maharana Pratap
The PIL, filed by Prashant Kumar Singh, objects to the use of “Shoorveer” in the film on the ground that the musical composition is associated with Maharana Pratap and his ideals.
According to the petition, its use in the film creates an undesirable association between the historical figure’s ideals and the violent and unlawful conduct depicted on screen.
The plea states that “Mirzapur: The Movie” is set against organised crime, gang rivalry and violent criminal activity. It refers to characters including Kaleen Bhaiya and alleges that they are portrayed as operating an illegal criminal empire involving weapons, drugs and narcotics, extortion, threats, murders and other acts of violence.
The petitioner has contended that combining such portrayals with a composition publicly associated with Maharana Pratap could create a misleading association between the values of courage, honour and sacrifice represented by the historical figure and the criminality, violence and unlawful exercise of power depicted through the film’s gangster characters.
