Manoj Muntashir Shukla rewarded by Govt, days before Adipurush ‘goof-up’

New Delhi: Even as Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, Monday said nobody has the right to hurt the sentiments of people, his ministry had rewarded Manoj Muntashir Shukla, the dialogue writer of the film "Adipurush", four days before the release of the film, which was cleared by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

On June 12, Muntashir was named as one of the I&B ministry's steering committee members for the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) alongside Kerala story's Vipul Amrutlal Shah, CBFC head Prasoon Joshi and NCW's Khushbu Sundar.

Following massive protests from across the country, Thakur was seen trying to control the damage by saying that the film's writer and director have agreed to make some changes in the film.

It may be recalled that Thakur and his ministry were under fire from various sections after Israeli director Nadav Lapid's remarks on 'The Kashmir Files' during last year's IFFI.

Lapid, viewed as an anti-establishment filmmaker, had described 'The Kashmir Files' as a "propaganda movie" and "vulgar" at the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Monday. He was chairperson of the international competition jury and many demanded a probe into his appointment.

The 3D multilingual film, starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan and Sunny Singh, among others, was released across the country on June 16.

In the meantime, the Mumbai Police are providing security to Shukla after he cited a threat to his life, an official said on Monday.

Directed by Om Raut and produced by T-Series, the big-budget multilingual saga "Adipurush" has been panned on social media over its poor VFX and colloquial dialogues, with Shukla under fire for Lord Hanuman's dialogues in the 'Lanka Dahan' sequence, among others.

Many viewers and political party leaders pointed out the oversimplified language used by the characters, especially Bajrang (Hanuman) played by Devdatta Nage.

Different parts of Uttar Pradesh witnessed protests against the film on Monday with seers in Ayodhya demanding an immediate ban on "Adipurush" saying its dialogues made their "blood boil".

A group of people staged a protest in Varanasi and tore posters of the film and the Hindu Mahasabha lodged a complaint with the Lucknow police against its makers and actors. A Hindu outfit also staged a protest outside a theatre in the temple town of Mathura.