Rajendra Rathore, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former opposition leader in the Rajasthan Assembly, has formally requested the censor board to remove the song “Shoorveer” from the upcoming film “Mirzapur The Movie.” This appeal highlights ongoing concerns regarding content regulation in Indian cinema.
“Today my heart is broken, but you will say, ‘brother, you should be happy that your song features in ‘Mirzapur’. Speaking to reporters, the BJP leader has claimed that the use of the song against the backdrop of a movie about gangsters and other criminal characters is “extremely objectionable and could hurt public sentiments. In a letter to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Rathore has claimed that the song is about the valour of Maharana Pratap and his loyal horse, Chetak, in the battle of Haldighati against the Mughal army. Rajsthani folk singer Ashok Manda Bishnoi on Instagram alleged that he was not approached by the Mirzapur team for permission to use the song in the movie. But the ‘Mirzapur’ team didn’t take my permission that we are using your song’. Then who gave them the permission? And this song is dedicated to Maharana Pratap and it is being used in the movie to glorify villains. Is this right?..
“Linking these two completely different contexts together is inappropriate,” he said, adding that objections were also being raised on social media over the use of the song. “Shoorveer” is a song composed and sung by Rapperiya Balam, the stage name of Rajsthani folk singer Ashok Manda Bishnoi. He added that the use of the song in the movie is “disrespectful” towards Maharana Pratap and the historical and cultural heritage associated with the king. This is an insult to Rajasthan and Maharana Pratap,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.
