Amid the controversy surrounding the film “Phule,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticized the BJP-RSS, accusing them of attempting to erase Dalit-Bahujan history to prevent the truth of caste discrimination and injustice from being exposed.
The film, directed by Ananth Mahadevan, is a biopic on the lives of social reformers Jyotirao Govindrao Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule, who fought tirelessly against casteism. The film was initially set for release on April 7 but has now been delayed to April 25 after objections from the Brahmin community.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi alleged, “On one hand, BJP-RSS leaders pay homage to Phule ji in a superficial manner, and on the other hand, they are censoring the film made on his life!” He further claimed, “BJP-RSS wants to erase Dalit-Bahujan history at every step so that the real truth of caste discrimination and injustice does not come to the fore.”
Gandhi said that despite Phule and his wife dedicating their lives to combating caste-based discrimination, the government was working to suppress this struggle and its historical significance.
The movie, featuring Pratik Gandhi (known for his role in Scam 1992) as Jyotirao Phule and Patralekhaa as Savitribai, was granted a U certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on April 7. However, the CBFC recommended several changes, including removing terms such as ‘Mang,’ ‘Mahar,’ and ‘Peshwai,’ replacing the visual of a man carrying a broom with one of boys throwing cow dung balls at Savitribai, and modifying the line “3,000 saal purani ghulami” to “Kai saal purani”.
Mahadevan defended these changes, stating, “They had suggested some amendments, I wouldn’t call them cuts. I want to clarify that there are no cuts as such. We did so. They felt that the film should be watched by the youth and everyone and it’s very educative.” He described the controversy as “exaggerated and unnecessary.”
The release delay followed objections raised by some members of the Brahmin community, including Anand Dave, president of the Hindu Mahasangh, who criticized the portrayal of the Brahmin community in the trailer. Dave argued that the film unfairly highlighted negative aspects of the Brahmin community.
Mahadevan said that the decision to push back the release was made to address the controversy and clear up any misunderstandings surrounding the film.
