'Wasn't Made For Controversy': Siddharth Malhotra Reflects On Junaid, Sharvari's Maharaj
Last Updated:
Director Siddharth P Malhotra's reflected on one year of Junaid Khan, Sharvari's film, Maharaj. He addressed the many controversies it faced before release.
Director Siddharth P Malhotra, whose film Maharaj has clocked a year of its release, has shared that they didn't intend to ruffle the feathers with the film, and only wanted to tell an honest story of a journalist.
The director spoke with IANS recently, and shared how he pitted actors Junaid Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat. The film marked Junaid's debut, and saw him going head to head with Jaideep, who essayed the titular role of the antagonist.
Talking about the process of approaching the characters, the director told IANS, 'We had done a lot of rehearsals and reading. It is my responsibility as a director to bring Jaideep in front of the camera. You know what you are doing from the first day. So, if you could not deliver that confidence, it is your mistake as a director. Sharvari did not play such a role. She could have been a ham. She could have gone wrong if she would have done the acting loudly. But she did it well. We trained Sharvari and Junaid in the same house. It was a lot of hard work".
He further mentioned, 'Our intention was very pure. We were not making a film for controversy. We were making a story of a journalist who fought for women when the MeToo movement did not even exist. The message of the film is that you belong to your God".
'Junaid and Karsan say that as a society, if we do not change our perspective, we will go on for thousands of years. The names of such gurus would have changed but the social evil would have stayed. Karsan, Junaid's character, dared to change that", he added.
'Maharaj' is based on journalist and social reformer Karsandas Mulji, and sees Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan's son – Junaid playing the protagonist. Having studied at the Elphinstone College in Mumbai, Karsandas Mulji, was a protege of the scholar-leader Dadabhai Naoroji. He was a member of the Gujarati Gnanprasarak Mandalli (Gujarati Society for the Spread of Knowledge), and was a friend of prominent Gujarati reformists such as poet Narmad and educationist Mahipatram Neelkanth.
He came under fire of conservative Gujarati society of its time because of his article, which criticised Vaishnava Archaryas (Hindu religious leaders) for their behaviour. The article resulted in the Maharaj Libel Case in 1862 on which the film is based. The film was released on Netflix.
First Published:
June 21, 2025, 18:57 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Kannappa Review: Vishnu Manchu's Visually Rich Tale Of Relentless Faith Lacks Emotional Restraint
Last Updated: Kannappa Movie Review And Rating: Directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh, the film stars Vishnu Manchu in a mythological epic with modern aesthetics and traditional melodrama. Kannappa Review And Rating: Vishnu Manchu's long-awaited mythological epic finally arrives in theatres with the promise of spectacle and soul. The rehash of the popular Hindu myth breathes in a certain modernity in terms of the aesthetics and making. But as far as its soul goes, it retains a sense of melodrama of our old cinema, which retains the excesses of the theatre. The pre-interval sequence of Vishnu Manchu's Kannappa features a cameo by one of South cinema's top superstars as a tribal lord who engages in a duel with Arjuna (played by Vishnu Manchu). For the uninitiated, Kannappa is a reincarnation of the warrior from the Mahabharata. The tribal lord, named Kirata, challenges Arjuna to shoot an arrow at a tree that's far beyond human reach, before he does. Arjuna smirks, pulls his bow, and a magical arrow gets loaded. Mind you, there are no quivers or wooden arrows here, these are magical beings. Arjuna shoots first and is shocked to see Kirata hasn't even launched his yet. After a knowing grin, Kirata finally shoots, his arrow pierces through Arjuna's mid-air and lands on the target. Arjuna is flabbergasted and realises Kirata is not what he seems. The whole sequence and the visual effects are superbly done, an example of how far our cinema has evolved technologically. Back in the day, the same scene would've involved golden cardboard arrows moving at less than 24 frames per second. One arrow would spew fire, the opponent's would quench it with water. If one turned into a snake, the other would become its predator, an eagle. Mukesh Kumar Singh's Kannappa isn't weighed down by such age-old silliness. Here, the fight sequences and visuals look rich. However, if one were to read out the dialogues of Kannappa and any devotional film from the past one after the other, it would be hard to discern which is from 2025 and which is not. Moving on to the story of the film: The popular myth of Kannappa is the story of Thinnan, a tribal hunter who discovers a Shiva linga in the forest and begins worshipping it in his own raw, instinctive way, offering meat, water from his mouth, and flowers picked with his feet. When he sees the linga bleeding, he plucks out his eye and places it on the deity. As the second eye begins to bleed, he prepares to offer his other eye too, using his foot to mark the spot. Before he can do it, Shiva appears and stops him, moved by his devotion. Thinnan is then blessed as Kannappa, one of Shaivism's most revered saints. In Mukesh Kumar's version, the story gets an added plot point involving a war between Thinna (Vishnu Manchu)'s faction and Kala Mukha (Arpit Ranka). Kala is after the Vayu Lingam, which is protected by five tribes, including Thinna's. While Thinna is a staunch atheist, he walks in the path of his father, a believer. There's also a blossoming love story between Thinna and Nemali (Preity Mukundan), the princess of an all-women tribe. While the core story of Kannappa occupies only about one-third of the film's runtime, the war and the romance take up the rest. There is a lot in Kannappa that echoes SS Rajamouli's Baahubali. The depiction of the love-hate relationship between Nemali and Thinna feels like a deliberate callback to the 2015 Telugu blockbuster. Similarly, Kala Mukha's tribe is cut from the same cloth as Baahubali's Kalakeyas, and they even sound similar. Hence, Kannappa loses out on novelty. What works in the film's favour is its production design and technical brilliance. A lot has gone into making it look rich, and that shows. The costumes, weapons, and overall aesthetics are products of deliberate effort and detailing, qualities the script and dialogues often lack. The final act of Kannappa, where Thinna transforms into a believer, is the only stretch that truly evokes emotion. Vishnu Manchu manages to hold your attention and delivers an effective performance. With such decent performances, the film could've relied more on visuals and trimmed down the long monologues that feel like straight lifts from past iterations of the story. It's natural to wonder about the purpose of a modern version of Kannappa, which Telugu cinema has revisited multiple times. But even for a non-believer like the writer here, Kannappa is a moving tale of sacrifice, a tale of a human overcoming himself through relentless faith. Personal beliefs notwithstanding, the story has dimensions that would resonate even with an atheist. It's also a radical tale, of a tribal hunter offering meat to Shiva and placing his foot on the lord's eye. It's a tale of tolerance and inclusion in every sense, a topical and much-needed story. I only wish Kannappa had explored these dimensions of the myth with more restraint and nuance. First Published:
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Shefali Jariwala once revealed her father was against her modeling, asked her to reject 'Kaanta Laga': 'He comes from a traditional Gujurati family... he set a condition'
Shefali Jariwala, famed for 'Kaanta Laga,' initially faced parental opposition due to her conservative Gujarati family's emphasis on academics. She balanced her passion with a promise to complete her education, earning a Computer Engineering degree. Despite feeling trapped at times, she acknowledged the importance of her education in shaping her life. Shefali Jariwala's rise to stardom began with the iconic remix Kaanta Laga—but her journey to the spotlight wasn't as effortless as it seemed. Coming from a conservative Gujarati family where academics were non-negotiable, Shefali had to fight more than just stage fright to chase her dreams. As she once revealed, the song that made her an overnight star almost never happened—because her father wanted her to turn it down. In a past interview with Dainik Bhaskar, she revealed that her father was firmly opposed to her entering the world of glamour and showbiz. Coming from a conservative background, he believed academics should always come first—making Shefali's choice to pursue acting a bold and unconventional move. The actress shared that it was only after she promised to complete her education that her father agreed to let her take up Kaanta Laga. With her mother's support by her side, she pursued her passion while staying true to her commitment. Shefali went on to earn a degree in Computer Engineering from Sardar Patel Engineering College and even became an IT professional—proving she could balance both ambition and academics. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo That decision turned out to be life-changing. Despite the fame and recognition that Kaanta Laga brought her, Shefali Jariwala admitted feeling trapped at times while completing her studies. However, looking back in an interview, she expressed gratitude to her parents for encouraging her to finish her education. That discipline, she said, played a vital role in shaping her life. Shefali passed away on June 27 following a cardiac arrest. Her final rites were held on June 28, and her ashes were immersed on Sunday, June 29.
India.com
14 hours ago
- India.com
There Are A Lot Of People...: Vikrant Massey Says Some In Industry Still Try To Make Him Feel Lesser
Mumbai: Bollywood actor Vikrant Massey has revealed that despite his success, there are still people in the film industry who make him feel lesser. In a recent interaction with IANS, he also admitted that many don't like him as an actor but added that their doubts only fuel his determination to keep proving himself. When asked if any star kids ever made him feel less important during his struggling days, Massey clarified that it wasn't about star kids specifically, but about certain individuals in the industry who tried to make him feel small. The '12th Fail' actor shared, 'No, it's not about a star kid. It's about the kind of people who make you feel small. We shouldn't generalize it. There are many people who, from time to time, try to make you feel lesser—and they still do. Even today? Yes, even today. There are many who do that. But I believe such people are necessary.' 'They help keep the fire inside you burning. I actually think we need people like that—those who challenge you, who look down on you. They still exist, and I'm thankful for their presence. There are a lot of people who don't like me as an actor. I know that. I won't name them, but they give me the drive to keep going.' When asked if it affects him mentally, Vikrant Massey responded that it doesn't disturb him at all. In fact, he said such negativity fuels his motivation and drives him to do better. 'Not at all. In fact, it works in my favor. There are so many who think, 'Oh, he's not a good actor.' Some even believe I'm overrated. So, when my film does well, it feels good—I prove them wrong. That's what keeps me going.' The 'Gaslight' actor went on to mention, 'That's the driving force for me. That feeling stays with you—it's very important. They help keep that inner fire alive. So really, it depends on the person. It's not about being a star kid or not. Not at all. If we're talking about star kids, most of them have actually been very nice to me.' Work-wise, Vikrant Massey is gearing up for the release of his film 'Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan' alongside Shanaya Kapoor. Helmed by Santosh Singh, the romantic drama is slated for a theatrical release on July 11.
