The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by the Odisha government against the release of the animated film ‘Mahaprabhu Jagannath’ on Wednesday. The court refused to change its earlier order that allowed the film to be released after the Rath Yatra festivities. The bench said animation is a creative form of art, especially for children, and should not be stopped because of such objections.
Supreme Court refuses to stop film’s release
According to a report by PTI, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan said that art and creativity should be encouraged.“There is creativity in the country. Animation is for the purpose of children. Nobody is now reading books. These things should not come in the way of art.”The Odisha government had argued that the release of the film could lead to law and order problems after some groups objected to the way Lord Jagannath was shown in the animated movie. However, the Supreme Court did not accept the request to stop the release.The Supreme Court had earlier permitted the film to be released across India on or after July 28, after the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra celebrations. The bench had also noted that the film is based on a web series that had already been released on YouTube and that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared it for public screening.During the earlier hearing, the court had asked the makers not to release the film during the Rath Yatra festivities. The producers had argued that they had invested crores of rupees in the project and would face heavy losses if the release was delayed further. They also said the film is a fictional animated movie made for children.
What was the objection?
The case began after the Odisha High Court stayed the release of the film following a public interest litigation. The petitioners sought cancellation of the film’s CBFC certificate and wanted the screening of the film to be stopped in Odisha. They objected to the fictional portrayal of Lord Jagannath’s childhood, dialogues and battle scenes.According to the petition, these scenes were against the Skanda Purana, Brahma Purana and long-followed temple traditions. With the latest order, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for the film’s release.
