Delhi HC Flags 'Shoorveer' Use in Mirzapur Film, Leaves Call to CBFC

The Delhi High Court on Thursday said the use of a song honouring Maharana Pratap as background score for a fight sequence in Mirzapur: The Movie did not appear to be in good taste, and asked the Central Board of Film Certification to decide within a week on the producer's proposal to make the necessary changes.

A bench of Chief Justice D. K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia made the oral observation while hearing a public interest litigation against the use of the song Shoorveer in the film. The court said the situation had reached a point where violence was being revered.

The producer's counsel told the court that the song plays only in the background, to embellish the climax in which the protagonists fight a group of goons. No character is compared to any historical figure, the counsel said, adding that the sequence has nothing to do with crime as such and depicts a clash between two factions.

Counsel for the CBFC informed the bench that the producer had approached the authority on its own to seek alterations to the scene, and that a decision would be taken soon.

When the petitioner's counsel expressed concern that his plea could become infructuous because the film had already been released on OTT platforms, the court observed that if the producers were themselves modifying the song and its background music, the purpose of the petition stood achieved. The PIL was listed for hearing on September 24, with the court directing that a decision be taken in the meantime.

The petition, filed by Prashant Kumar Singh, contends that Shoorveer — a tribute to Maharana Pratap — is used in a manner that creates an undesirable association between the warrior's revered ideals and the violence depicted in the film. It describes Mirzapur: The Movie as set against a backdrop of organised crime, gang rivalry and violent criminal activity, with principal characters including Kaleen Bhaiya shown running an illegal empire built on weapons, drugs, extortion, threats and murder.

Such a portrayal, the plea argues, can forge a misleading link between the courage, honour and sacrifice associated with Maharana Pratap and the criminality and unlawful power embodied by the film's gangster characters.