Maharaj
Official Release poster
Directed by	Siddharth P. Malhotra
Written by	Vipul Mehta Sneha Desai
Produced by	Aditya Chopra
Starring	Junaid Khan Jaideep Ahlawat Shalini Pandey Sharvari Wagh
Cinematography	Rajeev Ravi
Edited by	Shweta Venkat Matthew
Music by	Songs: Sohail Sen Alap Desai Score: Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara
Production company	YRF Entertainment
Distributed by	Netflix
Release date	21 June 2024 (2024-06-21)
Running time	131 minutes [1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Maharaj ^[2] is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language historical drama film directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra and produced by YRF Entertainment. It stars Junaid Khan in the lead role marking his acting debut, alongside Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey and Sharvari Wagh. ^[3] The film is based on the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 and Saurabh Shah's novel about the case. ^[4]

Initially scheduled to release on 14 June 2024, the Gujarat High Court stayed the release of the film, based on a Hindu group's plea that claimed the film could incite violence against followers of Pushtimarga Sampradaya (a Hindu sect). ^{[5] [6]} It was finally released on 21 June 2024 for streaming on Netflix. ^[7] It received mixed reviews.

Plot

Karsandas Mulji is born in a Gujarati Vaishnav family. He moves to his uncle's place in Mumbai after his mother passes away and grows up in Mumbai becoming a journalist. He is engaged to Kishori. The local people are devotees of Maharaj Jadunath Brijratan "JJ". Kishori is also a devotee of JJ and respects him a lot.

During Holi celebrations Kishori is chosen by JJ for Charan Seva. Karsandas when searching for Kishori finds her sleeping with JJ. Furious at Kishori he breaks off the engagement. Karsandas understands that JJ uses women for sex under the disguise of seva. Kishori also understands that JJ is just using her when she sees him trying to sleep with her younger sister. Kishori commits suicide and in her last letter to Karsandas she tells him to bring forward the reality of JJ to the public. Karsandas decides to write an article about JJ's assaults and publish it. He sets up a new printing press creating his newspaper, Satyaprakash. When he tries to publish his article, JJ's men steal and burn printed papers.

He prints another article and manages to put it out in public with the help of his workers and Viraaj, his new assistant. Many people read this article and this starts causing problems for JJ. An enraged JJ closes the Mahal doors for the public to make the public force Karsandas to apologise to him. Karsandas manages to convince people that prayers can be said anywhere and it is not necessary to enter the Mahal. JJ files a case of libel against Karsandas.

Karsands decides to fight the case in court. Initially he finds it difficult to find any witnesses but later on, JJ's wife helps Karsandas in finding Lilawaiti who is pregnant with JJ's child and will testify. JJ manages to convince Lilawati against testifying by killing her brother and getting her married to his assistant. Still Karsandas manages to find other women who testify against JJ. The court finds Karsandas not guilty of libel and also starts criminal proceedings against JJ for his crimes. Most people stop respecting JJ. Karsandas is held a hero.

Cast

Production

The film began pre-production in November 2020 and went on floors in February 2021. Suffering shooting halts, the production wrapped up in October 2023.

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by Sohail Sen, Alap Desai and Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara while the lyrics were written by Kausar Munir, Sneha Desai and Traditional.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 25% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10. ^[8]

A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Maharaj makes an important comment. The protests and legal issues will further increase its viewership." ^[9] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated this film 2 stars out of 5 and said, "For all the elements that work in Maharaj, there is a whole bunch of others that don't. A period drama that has so much to say has never felt so inert and ineffectual". ^[10] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express also gave 2 stars out 5 and stated, "The only one who is completely in sync with the film’s tonality is Jaideep Ahlawat, who has given us a 'dharm ka thekedar' to beat all 'dharm ke thekedars'." ^[11] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated this film 2 stars out of 5 and observes that "Maharaj's mediocre social drama lacks the spine and spunk to recreate the relevance of revolutionary decisions in the face of religious fanaticism". ^[12]

Sana Farzeen of India Today gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Junaid Khan, as a first-timer, looks confident and at ease on screen. 'Maharaj' is an unconventional and brave debut choice, and Khan captures your attention. As expected, Jaideep Ahlawat once again gives a flawless performance. He is as effortless as JJ". ^[13] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times said, "Though Maharaj is set in the pre-independence era, the story and the fight against 'bhakt culture' holds relevance in today's times". ^[14] Renuka Vyavahare The Times of India rated 2.5 stars out of 5 and stated "Based on a true story, unlike the impression given, the film isn’t a courtroom thriller. It’s a historical drama retelling the events that led to the court case fought in the British court of Bombay". ^[15]

Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu observes that "If not for the touchiness of our times, a film as simple, sedate and self-congratulatory like 'Maharaj' would likely slip under the radar". ^[16] Nandini Ramnath writes for Scroll.in, "The film is barely convincing as a period production. The makers are equally unable to depict the sensitivity of religious feeling or the monumentality of Karsan’s decision to take on a powerful sect. It’s hard to critique cultish behaviour when there’s no curiosity behind the sentiment that leads to such behaviour". ^[17]

Controversies

On 13 June 2024, the Gujarat High Court issued an interim stay on the release of "Maharaj," the debut film of Junaid Khan, son of Aamir Khan. This decision was in response to a petition by members of the Pushtimarg sect, who argued that the film, based on the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, contained content that could incite violence and offend religious sentiments. ^[18] However, after reviewing the film, Justice Sangeeta K. Vishen lifted the stay, stating that the film did not target the sect and had been appropriately certified by the Central Board of Film Certification. Consequently, the film was allowed to stream on Netflix from June 21, 2024. ^{[19] [20]}

References

External links

• Maharaj on IMDb