The trouble started with a public interest case filed by Mahesh Kumar Sahu from Angul,along with Dr Pramod Kumar Acharya and Umashankar Acharya from Puri and Nimapada. They wanted the film's certificate pulled altogether and its screening stopped across Odisha, saying its depiction of Lord Jagannath's childhood, his adventures and even the battle scenes didn't sit right with the Skanda Purana and the Brahma Purana.The film itself is built as an extension of an existing animated series called Jay Jagannath, which the makers describe as rooted in devotion to the deity, and the Orissa High Court agreed those objections needed a proper look before anyone could screen the film, pausing the release just a day before it was set to hit theatres on July 17.Producer Ele Animations Pvt Ltd wasn't willing to just wait that out. Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat took the matter straight to the Chief Justice, saying the Central Board of Film Certification had already cleared the film under the Cinematograph Act with a U certificate in Hindi,Odia and Telugu, and that every day of delay was burning through crores the producers had already spent.It's an odd thing, watching a legal fight this heavy unfold over a cartoon meant for seven year olds during festival season,but here we are.
Chief Justice Surya Kant,sitting with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, didn't grant the same day hearing Kamat had asked for, and the bench said it would take up the plea on Friday instead. The makers, meanwhile, put out a statement calling the film an honest, U certified tribute to Lord Jagannath meant for children and families this Rath Yatra season, insisting they'd already sunk crores into a project made with nothing but devotion.With the matter now sub judice, the makers said they'd rather let the court decide than argue it out in public.
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