'Adipurush', a highly anticipated movie starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan, received harsh criticism from viewers and fans who were let down by Om Raut's interpretation of the Hindu mythological epic Ramayan. The Supreme Court decided not to rescind the CBFC certification in the face of the poor reviews and calls for a ban and boycott, providing some solace to the producers.
Om Raut and the makers of the movie were the targets of numerous lawsuits and petitions, one of which demanded that the CBFC certification be revoked in accordance with Article 32 section 5B of the Cinematography Act. The petitioner claimed that CBFC had broken the rules for approving films for public viewing. The Supreme Court, however, rejected the argument, stating that it should not meddle with issues for which there is a set procedure for getting certification under the act.
As the level of sensitivity surrounding films, books, and art has increased, Justice Kaul has expressed concern that tolerance for artistic expressions is waning. The bench made it clear that they would not consider such situations under Article 32 since it would be impracticable to examine each and every small detail that can inadvertently offend someone.
"The level of tolerance for films, books, paintings keeps on getting down. Now people are hurt maybe sometimes genuinely, maybe sometimes not. But we will not under Article 32 start entertaining them," the Justice says, as per an entertainment news portal.
The court also accepted that films might not always faithfully adapt literary works, but it pointed out that a commission had already examined 'Adipurush' and given the required certification, taking any potential issues into account. The Supreme Court further stopped legal actions against films in various high courts by refusing to take on the role of a body in charge of cancelling certificates based on certain sensitivities.
'Adipurush' received harsh criticism for the way it portrayed Lord Ram, Hanuman, Raavan, and other significant characters, as well as for some of its speech. Although the creators responded to the criticism by making improvements, the movie's profitability suffered as viewers voiced their displeasure, leading to a drop in its box office performance.