Jains have opposed the release of a movie based on the lives of their Tirthankars or teachers. The community has also objected to the physical depiction of the religion's founder, Mahavir, in the film.
The Hindi-language feature film '1080 The Legacy of Mahaveer' is scheduled to be released in theatres in Mumbai's western suburbs on October 27. A trailer for the movie was released on YouTube earlier this month. While Jains in Mumbai have written to the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC), members of the community met senior officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in New Delhi on Saturday.
Delegates meet Minister for Information and Broadcasting
There has been an official comment from the government on the issue. Kamlesh Shah, a Delhi-based advocate, said that the delegates who met the Minister for Information and Broadcasting were told that the movie would not be released without a screening and review by members of the Jain community. 'Our religious scholars will watch the movie and ask them to edit the objectionable sections. We have asked the government to see if the movie can be banned from screening online through cyber laws," said Shah.
Nitin Vora, convenor of Shree Mumbai Jain Sangh, said, "It is a principle of Jainism that God Mahavir, or any holy figure in our religion, cannot be portrayed by an actor."
Siddh Vidya, a Mumbai-based lawyer who filed the complaint with the MSHRC, said that they had met the film's producers who are also Jains. "We told the producers that Bhagwan Mahavir cannot be shown as an ordinary living being," said Vidya who added that in 2004, the Jain community had issued injunctions against the portrayal of Bhagwan Mahavir in human form. "He is such a holy figure that we believe an actor cannot play him," said Vidya.
Jains claim film violate human rights
The movie's producer, Abhishek Maloo of Mahaveer Talkies, was not available for a comment despite several attempts to contact him on telephone and social media. Jains have claimed that the film violates their human rights within the meaning of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
Community members said that the physical traits of a Tirthankar are nonpareil and cannot be portrayed by an actor. They are of the opinion that the prophets can be depicted in an animated form.
The movie tells the story of religious leaders who lived in the 11th century in Gujarat. They sought to uphold the teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, the 24th and last Tirthankar of the Jain religion, in the face of a degradation of morals in society.
The movie has created a rift within the community as the film was made with the backing of Acharya Khatargacharya Shri Jin Piyush Sagar Suri, a religious leader of the Shwetamber Murtipujak sect. “Guruji had supported the film, but his own guru does not approve of the film," said Vora.
