“Fueling hatred”: Jamiat moves court to ban release of controversal film Udaipur Files

President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Arshad Madani, on Saturday said that his organisation has approached the High Courts of Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat against the release of the Hindutva propaganda film “Udaipur Files—Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder”.

The film is based on Kanhaiya Lal, the tailor hacked to death by two Muslims in Rajasthan’s Udaipur in June 2022 for social media posts supporting the then BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her inflammatory comments against Prophet Mohammed. One of the assailants, identified as Riyaz, attacked Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp weapon while the other recorded the crime on his mobile phone.

“The film completely maligns a particular religious community, potentially fueling hatred and seriously threatening mutual respect and social harmony among citizens,” Madani said in a statement posted on X.

“The film’s trailer includes the controversial statement made by Nupur Sharma, which had not only set the entire country on fire but also caused adverse impact on the friendly relations of our country with other nations – damaging the image of our great nation at the global stage, and then forced the BJP to expel her from the party.”

According to Bollywood Hungama, Udaipur Files is scheduled to be released on 11 July. The film is directed by Bharat S. Shrinate with Vijay Raaz joining as the lead role.

Earlier, the film was called Gyanvapi Files, in reference to the historic mosque in Varanasi, contested to be built on the site of a demolished temple by Hindutva groups.

“The trailer presents objectionable remarks against the Prophet of Islam ﷺ and his holy wives, which could disturb peace and public order in the country. The film portrays Deoband as a hub of extremism and uses extremely inflammatory language against its scholars (Ulama).”

The veteran Muslim leader also pointed out that the film mentions sensitive and pending issues like the “Gyanvapi Mosque”, which are currently under consideration in the Varanasi District Court and the Supreme Court.

“Such content is a violation of the fundamental rights granted under Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Indian Constitution,” he added.

Reliance Entertainment is the distribution partner of the film that depicts Muslims with Islamophobic tropes.