‘Prithviraj’, actor Akshay Kumar's next film, is in the works. Indian actress and Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar makes her Bollywood debut in the film, which also stars actors Sanjay Dutt and Sonu Sood. In the film, Kumar will play warrior king Prithviraj, while Chhillar will play his love interest, Samyukta. However, just days before its release, it sparked some controversy regarding the warrior being portrayed as a Rajput instead of a Gurjar.
According to the E-Times, Akhil Bharatiya Veer Gurjar Mahasabha has claimed that Prithviraj was a Gurjar, and as such, he should be portrayed in the film as a Gurjar rather than a Rajput.
According to reports, the Mahasabha has also said that the film will not be released if Prithviraj is portrayed as a Rajput. Manish Bhargava, the Rajasthan state president of the Mahasabha, met with the film's producer last year and showed them 'historic evidence' to avoid factual errors.
The Karni Sena an organisation based in Rajasthan had previously requested that the film's title be changed. The Karni Sena wanted the film to be called 'Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan.'
"We have met Akshaye Widhani, the CEO of Yash Raj films and they have promised to make the change to the title. They have agreed to honour our demand," Surjeet Singh Rathore, a Karni Sena member, told the E-Times. He also said that if their demand is not met, the film will not be released in Rajasthan.
"We have already warned the Rajasthan exhibitors about this. We will not allow the film to be shown in Rajasthan unless the title is changed to Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan," he added. Meanwhile, there has been no official response from Yash Raj Films to the Karni Sena's demands.
The film will be released in theatres on June 3.
