Newdelhi: The Delhi High Court has directed the producers of the film adaptation of Mirzapur to make a voluntary contribution of Rs 50,000 to the Army Welfare Fund, following a legal challenge over the utilization of a musical track dedicated to Maharana Pratap.
The bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, formally closed the public interest litigation on October 13 after noting that the song titled "Shoorveer" had been successfully taken out of the feature film and remained absent from the edit since September 17.
Legal representatives for the production banner, Excel Entertainment Pvt Ltd, informed the bench that the company would deposit the funds within a week and submit formal proof of the transaction. The court specified that should the payment acknowledgment fail to be registered within a two-week window, the case would automatically be restored to the docket for a targeted review regarding financial penalties.
Previously, the bench had remarked that employing a tribute track for a martial arts or combat sequence set within the film was inappropriate. During earlier hearings, counsel representing the Central Board of Film Certification noted that the studio had independently approached the regulatory authority to alter the sequence, prompting the court to expedite approval for the edits.
The initial petition, brought forward by Prashant Kumar Singh, argued that synchronizing a composition honoring Maharana Pratap with a fight sequence generated an unfavorable connection between the historical warrior's noble legacy and the illicit behavior portrayed on screen.
The underlying narrative of the project centers on organized crime, gang warfare, and illegal enterprises, featuring central figures engaged in arms proliferation, narcotics distribution, extortion, and lethal violence. The petitioner maintained that setting such criminal activities against a revered cultural composition risked trivializing the values of honor and sacrifice.
With the disputed track completely excised from the final cut, the judiciary brought the matter to a close, contingent upon the studio fulfilling its commitment to support the Army Welfare Fund within the designated timeframe.