Adipurush writer Manoj Muntashir gets Mumbai Police protection after death threats

Manoj Muntashir, the dialogue writer for Adipurush, has received backlash for some controversial dialogues in the movie. There are also protests erupting in various parts of the country against Adipurush. Muntashir has been heavily scrutinised on social media, with political leaders also voicing their disapproval of the dialogues.

3 things you need to know

• Om Raut's directorial venture Adipurush is supposed to a 21st century retelling of the epic Ramayana
• Since the film's release on June 16, it has faced flak for certain dialogues, particularly those mouthed by Lord Hanuman.
• The Adipurush team has pledged to revamp the controversial dialogues and release new prints from Monday.

Much ado over Om Raut's Adipurush

Many Hindu organisations have opposed the film over its content and controversial dialogues. However, that's not where it ends. The screening of Adipurush was recently stopped at a theatre, in the Nalasopara Area of Palghar district in Maharashtra. The volunteers of a Hindu organisation created ruckus in the theatre during the film's screening and the screening had to be stopped immediately.

(Dialogue writer manoj Muntashir is also the lyricist of Adipurush. Image: Twitter)

A threat to the writer's life

In light of the outrage and threats directed towards him, Muntashir has reached out to Mumbai Police officials via email, seeking security protection. A Mumbai Police official has confirmed that they have received Muntashir's request, stating, "We have received an application from Manoj Muntashir. We are currently investigating the matter and will take appropriate action if necessary."

(Manoj Muntashir in currently embroiled in controversy. Image: Twitter)

Adipurush was an inspired work; there are 300 different versions of the epic

It must be noted that Muntashir, while speaking to the Editor in Chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, said "The film is being made keeping in mind the taste of today's audience. The language used in the film is as similar to any other Ramleela that happens in any village in India."

He said, "What is Tulsidas's Ramayana? It was a work inspired by Valmiki's Ramayana. That's why there are several differences in the narratives presented in each of these versions. So, when we make a film like Adipurush that tells the tale of the Ramayana, it is obvious that it will be an inspired work."

(Adipurush is a modern day retelling of the epic Ramayana. Image: Twitter)

He further added, "There are 300 different versions of the epic that exist in the country. When we speak of an exact, 'hundred percent' replica of the Ramayana, which one of these 300 versions should I depict word for word? Whenever we retell an epic tale like the Ramayana, we make it our own and narrate it to suit the concurrent time and era. Such are the spoken/oral traditions of epics like the Ram Katha. So, it is obvious that if I take inspiration from a story, I will retell it my way, just like Valmiki and Tulsidas."