'Same Govt Sent Film To Cannes': Khalid Ka Shivaji Director as Govt Blocks Film

After objections by right-wing groups & Maharashtra govt, Centre revokes CBFC nod to Khalid Ka Shivaji for 1 month.

'On-Road Censorship In India': 'Khalid Ka Shivaji' Director as Govt Blocks Film

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Nitin Bisht

"Recently, there's been a lot of 'on-the-road' censorship. The Censor Board should look at this and ensure they have a proper jury in place. If people start doing 'on-the-road' censorship, it will be extremely difficult for filmmakers like me to make the films we wish to," said National Award-winning director Raj More, as he spoke passionately but carefully about his latest film - 'Khalid ka Shivaji'.

Ever since the trailer dropped last week, the film has found itself in controversy, primarily for allegedly portraying the Maratha king as 'secular'.

The story of the film is one from the perspective of a Muslim child and how he falls in love with Chhattrapati Shivaji.

Teased as "Afzal Khan" by his peers, Khalid embarks on a journey of self-discovery, seeking answers from his grandmother, teacher, and friends, ultimately finding solace in the story of Shivaji Maharaj.

But after protests by right-wing Hindu groups, the Maharashtra government wrote to the Union I&B Ministry to block the film's release, following which the CBFC certificate to the film has been blocked for a month.

In this interview on 'Badi Badi Baatein', More talks about his depiction of Shivaji, responds to critics questioning the accuracy of his portrayal, defends his film as a reflection of Khalid’s viewpoint, not a revision of history, and urges the viewers to engage with it from multiple perspectives in an era where the retelling of history often becomes a tool for political narratives.

How did you come up with the concept of this film?

I thought of the film during COVID. I had a Muslim scholar friend who said the children used to bully him and jokingly call him Afzal Khan. I realised only then what that really meant. I shared that thought with my writer and said that this could be a concept. We bully people for their caste, religion, or the colour of their skin. This is how the story developed.

What kind of research went into the film?

Like I said, this is not a historical film. It is the story of a boy studying in Class 5, called Khalid, who used to be teased as 'Afzal Khan'. He has a lot of questions in his mind—why me? Is it because I am a Muslim? As he searches for this answer and asks questions to his grandmother, his teacher, and his friend, he searches for Shivaji Maharaj. Does he find him? That is the story. Secondly, we agree that the figures may vary. But we cannot deny that there were Muslim soldiers and sardars. We referred to a lot of writings, but every era has writings that may differ. Our writer took references from these writings and tried to send a message.

There is a scene in the film where he is teased and called 'Afzal Khan' by fellow classmates. Why was it significant to highlight that?

We cannot show everything in the trailer. I urge everyone not to judge the film based on a two-minute trailer. I urge everyone to watch the film first. It has been certified by the Censor Board and was also sent by the state government to Cannes, among three Marathi films to be showcased.

The controversy is over the fact that you tried to portray Chhatrapati Shivaji as secular, while according to some, he was a Hindutvawadi. How do you respond to that?

I don't think he was just a Hindu king. It is well known that he had people in his court from across castes and classes. There were Muslims and Dalits among his Mavalas. I believe he was secular, but that is up for debate. There were Muslim soldiers and sardars in his army. The thing is, everyone wants to portray him as it suits them.

If we talk about the people and officers who were Muslims in his army, there's a dialogue that has sparked a lot of conversation, claiming that 35 percent of his army was Muslim. Why is this dialogue generating so many objections?

You know, after seeing the reaction, I posted on social media that the numbers may have been different, and I agree with that. But what we can't deny is that his army did have Muslims.

When Khalid asks his grandmother why Shivaji killed Afzal Khan, she replies, "He must've done something wrong." The rest of the conversation is not shown in the trailer, but this particular line stood out to people, suggesting that the entire history hasn’t been told.

Yes, as I said, all the scenes are in the film. But we can only show so much in the trailer. The relationship between Khalid and his grandmother is a beautiful one. And you know, the relationship between any child and their grandmother, be it Hindu, Muslim, or any caste—the bond between a child and their grandparents is quite something. In this case, his grandmother knows nothing about Shivaji's context, which is why she says what she does.

There are a lot of demands for this film to be banned without even seeing it. What do you think of this whole sentiment?

I think, I mean, in films, there's been a lot of 'on-the-road' censorship. The Censor Board should look at this and ensure they have a proper jury in place. If people start doing 'on-the-road' censorship, it will be extremely difficult for filmmakers like me to make the films we wish to.

This is not the first film to come under this kind of censorship. In recent years, we've seen many films become controversial, starting with Padmavat. There have been a lot of films like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story, and more recently, Chhava—these have been extremely sentiment-driven films. There are a lot of debates surrounding films like these. As a filmmaker, do you think films are being used selectively to show certain things and hide others, to drive a sentiment or a political narrative?

Films like that have come out, we can't deny that. My film Khalid Ka Shivaji is a kid's story, it's from a completely different perspective. We've shown Shivaji Maharaj in a completely different manner. It's a film from Khalid's point of view, and he's a kid. It's about how he sees Shivaji Maharaj and how he idolises him—that's what the story is about.

The child being the centre of the film is quite crucial to the story, as it shows how a person’s ideals are formed. The age you've shown Khalid is exactly when this begins. We saw this in the trailer as well, with the kinds of questions he asks his grandmother and teachers. For your storyline, how important was it for Khalid to be a child? Couldn't he have been an adult?

A child is innocent, and so are their questions. This entire film is about Khalid's questions. The questions he has asked are questions for you and me as well. And how far the answers push our thinking as people.

At the end of the film, we see Khalid dressing up as Shivaji and there's a dialogue: "xyz". According to you, who does Shivaji Maharaj belong to?

Shivaji Maharaj is for everyone. He is Khalid's, John's, Fadnavis's—he belongs to every class. He never made any such distinction. You know how they say in Marathi, "xyz." That's why I say Shivaji Maharaj is for everyone—yours, mine, everyone’s. In this case, since it's Khalid's point of view, it’s Khalid's Shivaji Maharaj.

We've also heard that ministers have objections to the film being released, and demands for it to be banned have come up. Recently, in Chief Minister Fadnavis's meeting, there was also disruption related to the film. What is your request from the government in this matter?

Our only request is that the film has already been certified, and it should be released to the public. All I say is, after seeing the film, if you don’t like it, please go ahead and criticise it openly. Because you know, the glorified image of Shivaji Maharaj has always been upheld. He is deeply revered. We have to understand that this film is from Khalid’s point of view, and it’s not a historical film by any means.

Since this film has entered the conversation, what kind of targeting have you faced on social media or elsewhere?

You know, people who don't want to come forward find social media quite convenient. If you see, nobody’s coming onto the streets to protest. Everyone’s sitting behind their screens on Instagram and Facebook, sending messages, often through fake accounts. They're fighting their battle differently. We’ve made the film honestly, and as such, we don’t need to be scared. This happens, but it's important for us not to think too much about it. If we think too much about it, we cannot make films with such ideologies.

What is the broader message you want to send out through this film?

My message is that Shivaji Maharaj—as you said, recently all great personalities have been roped into political messaging and claimed by various narratives—but these people, be it Shivaji Maharaj or Ambedkar, they belong to everyone. The message is simply this: whoever understands Shivaji Maharaj, that's who he belongs to. That’s our tagline for the film as well.

If the film is banned, would you pursue the matter legally?

We'll go ahead, because we believe we’ve made a wonderful film, and if any legal matters arise, we’ll address them.