Put disclaimer 'Maratha' is general term, Delhi High Court directs makers of movie `Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior'

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed that a disclaimer be used in Bollywood film `Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior' which states that the word `Maratha' used in the movie was a general term referring to all soldiers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and had not been used to refer to any community.

Justice Navin Chawla disposed of the plea filed by Akhil Bhartiya Kshatriya Koli Rajput Sangh Delhi through advocates Saurabh Kansal and Shallaj Kumar.

The court partly considered the prayer of the petitioner and directed that a disclaimer be put in English and Hindi that the word `Maratha' used in the film was a general term referring to all the soldiers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and not used to refer to any community.

According to the petitioner, the filmmaker has shown Tanhaji as a Maratha warrior but he was a Koli-Maratha warrior and "therefore the filmmakers are concealing true lineage of the great warrior Tanhaji Malusare".

He requested the court to issue a direction to the filmmaker to show the true lineage of the great warrior in the movie.

The petitioner society, comprising members of the Kshatriya Koli community, strongly objected to the film and appealed to the court to issue an appropriate direction to the Central Board of Film Certification and the director of the film Om Raut to show the true lineage of Tanhaji.

The cast of the film includes Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Kajol, Jagapathi Babu and Sharad Kelkar in lead roles.

( With inputs from ANI )