Political mercury rises in Maharashtra over films and comments on Shivaji Maharaj, know who said what

During the last fortnight in Maharashtra, the political temperature has risen due to protests against the films made on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the controversial comments of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also faced criticism for 'insulting' Shivaji Maharaj during a discussion on television.

Political mercury rises over comments on Shivaji Maharaj

During a function held in Aurangabad last Saturday, Koshyari courted controversy by saying that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an idol of the "old days". Koshyari's statement caused a political storm in Maharashtra politics, with activists of the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), and other organizations protesting against the remark, which was attributed to the 17th-century Maratha legend. It is considered an insult to the king and the state.

Devendra Fadnavis said this

Even the ruling BJP has expressed disagreement over the governor's remarks. Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said, "One thing is clear Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will remain the hero and ideal of Maharashtra and the country as long as there is sun and moon." Even Koshyari has no doubt about this in his mind. However, many different interpretations were drawn from the Governor's remarks.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule said this

BJP's Maharashtra unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the governor should not have compared Union minister Nitin Gadkari and NCP chief Sharad Pawar with Maratha king Shivaji. MLA Sanjay Gaikwad of the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde demanded the transfer of the governor. This political uproar over Koshyari's statement comes a few days after the controversy over the alleged misrepresentation of the 17th-century ruler in a film. Earlier this month, NCP leader Jitendra Awhad along with his supporters disrupted the screening of the Marathi film 'Har Har Mahadev' at a cinema hall in Thane. Awhad was later arrested for allegedly assaulting a businessman who had come to watch the film.

Films centered on Shivaji Maharaj are also being opposed

Supporting the film, Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also jumped into the controversy. Last week, Sambhaji Chhatrapati, a Rajya Sabha member and a descendant of a Maratha ruler, met Chief Minister Shinde and Fadnavis and demanded the formation of a committee of historians and researchers to verify the truth of what was put before the public. Talking about the popularity of Shivaji Maharaj in films, cinema historian SMM Ausaja said that the ideal Maratha warrior has been depicted in Marathi films for decades.

Vedat Marathe Veer Daudale seven in discussion before release

Anja told PTI-language, “Today we are living in politically charged times. Any political party in power would like to have control over what kind of films are being made and that party will enforce its agenda, which suits its ideology." Another Marathi film, Vedat Marathe Veer. 'Daudaale Saat' is already in discussion before its release and it is being directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and Akshay Kumar is in the lead role.

Akshay Kumar will be seen in the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji

Sambhaji Chhatrapati has also warned about this film and has talked about making all efforts to stop the film from any kind of tampering with the facts. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar said, “I am playing the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in this film. I got this role because of MNS leader Raj Thackeray. He told me, Akshay, you should play this role.