Priests threaten to hold protests if Kedarnath film is not banned
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Sara Ali Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput starrer Kedarnath has evoked strong reaction from the priests of the temple town, who have demanded a ban on the film, saying it promotes ‘love jihad’.
Days after the teaser of Kedarnath, an upcoming film starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan was released, the film has evoked a sharp reaction from teerth purohits (priests) of the shrine town of Kedarnath in Uttarakhand’s Chardham. They have demanded that a blanket ban be imposed on the movie stating that it hurts the Hindu religious sentiments.
“We will launch an agitation if the movie is not banned as we have been told that it hurts the Hindu religious sentiments by promoting ‘love jihad’,” said Vinod Shukla, chairman, Kedar Sabha, an organisaiton of the priests based in Kedarnath.
The term ‘love jihad’ denotes alleged campaigns under which Muslim men target the non-Muslim women for conversion to Islam.
Kedarnath, the soon-to-be released movie in which Saif Ali Khan’s daughter Sara is making her film debut, was extensively shot in the shrine town two years ago. The calamitous floods that struck the town in 2013, forms the film’s background. Sushant plays the male lead in it, which has been directed by Abhishek Kapoor.
Shukla said the priests had strongly protested against the film when its “vulgar dance sequences” were being shot around Kedarnath shrine. Incidentally, locals have already started protesting against its release.
On Thursday, a group of people at the district headquarters town of Rudraprayag organised a protest against the film.
“A similar demonstration was also held at Kotdwar,” said Ajendra Ajay, a state BJP leader who has held a minister-level post.
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