‘Maharaj,’ the Netflix film based on journalist Karsan Das Mulji's life, marks the debut of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan's son, Junaid Khan. The plot revolves around the life of a journalist who bravely stood up even when the world and circumstances were against him by using the power of his pen to fight against the 'atrocities' inflicted by religious leaders.
Karan P Malhotra directorial Hindi movie star casts Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, Sharvari Wagh and Jay Upadhyay alongside Junaid Khan.
Members of a Hindu outfit moved a petition in court to halt its release, claiming that it hurt religious sentiments. Protests against its release also involved boycott calls on social media. Subsequently, its release was temporarily suspended for a week. The suspension was lifted by Gujarat High Court on June 21.
It ruled, “Having viewed the film, this court found nothing objectionable that would hurt the religious feelings of petitioners or a sect,” reported The Hindu.
Production house Yash Raj Films (YRF) issued a statement yesterday after the court's verdict that said, “We are grateful to the judiciary for allowing the release of Maharaj, a film that celebrates one of the most important social reformers of our country, Karsandas Mulji.”
It noted, "Karsandas, a hero and a devout Vaishnav, stood for righteousness, protected women and safeguarded his community and faith. Maharaj is a tribute to his indomitable fighting spirit and his courage to be on the right side of history."
Karan P Malhotra's film, inspired by Saurabh Shah's 2013 Gujarati novel, dramatizes the significant ‘1862 Maharaj Libel Case’, where imperial British judges mediated between religious conservatism and progressive reform within a colonial nation.
Filmfare gave a 3.5 rating out of 5 to Netflix's latest offering that was initially set to release on June 14. Actor Devesh Sharma described it as “a stellar launchpad for Junaid Khan. It is a film that combines strong performances, a compelling story, and proficient direction.”
Netizens were strong to react to the film after it finally premiered on Netflix following one week delay. Many users were full of praise and commended Junaid's acting.
One user stated, “Sorry Aamir, I think I will admire your son Junaid for a while.” Another user reviewed the movie, ‘too good’ as she stated, “In the initial scenes I was like oh he smiles like his father & he is being little clumsy but later on he made me forget all these and specially in the scenes with Jaideep Ahlawat and in the emotional breakdown scenes, Junaid's acting sparked like anything! Too good!”
A third user commented, "Junaid Khan made me think of Aamir Khan from Tum Mere Ho tbh more than Aamir, I find Faisal Khan’s influence in Junaid’s performance.
A user stated, “A debut like this and an actor like him, Junaid Khan is the commendable in his craft. The actors shines in #Maharaj with his impressive and power packed performance!”
Another wrote, “28 Years Old Junaid Khan on his debut has already surpassed #ShahrukhKhan 35 Years of Acting Legacy.” A sixth user noted, “Maharaj was a decent to good watch .the screenplay and drama was very good. Jaideep Ahlawat was good in a one note role ..liked the performances of Shalini Pandey and Sharvari. Junaid has potential as an actor but needs more polishing in terms of dialogue delivery.”
