 "'The Taj Story' Box-Office: Paresh Rawal's film jumps by 90% on day two and 16% on Sunday, collects Rs 5.11 crore in three days")
After garnering several headlines and controversies, Paresh Rawal starrer The Taj Story hit the screens this Friday. However, we saw petitions being filed against the movie and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and among them, two were there for seeking a review of the certification granted.
The Taj Story box-office
The drama set against the backdrop of Agra’s Taj Mahal collected Rs 1 crore on its opening day, saw a jump of 90% and collected Rs 1.9 crore on day 2, and early estimates suggest it collected Rs 2.21 crore on Sunday. The total stands at Rs 5.11 crore.
The Taj Story controversy
The petitioners filed that the movie is based on “fabricated facts and… a particular propaganda for spreading a manipulated history by showing misinformation”
After the court shared that there is an alternate statutory remedy available to the petitioners — to approach the Central government seeking a review of CBFC’s decision — under Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act, which also empowers the Centre to revoke a previously granted certification for a film, advocates Chetna Gautam and Shakeel Abbas withdrew their petitions.
Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela dismissed the pleas while hearing them. “Counsel for both petitioners have argued that they are not against exhibition of film but only intend that the board may direct the producer to insert a disclaimer that the depiction in the film is not history,” said the bench.
Paresh Rawal breaks silence
Paresh Rawal told NDTV, “Tushar (the director) came with amazing research. There is nothing hanky-panky in it.”
“His sources were clearly mentioned, and I even checked with friends who confirmed the facts. From the very beginning, we made sure there would be no Hindu-Muslim jingoism in this film,” the actor added.
Addressing the controversy further
“There’s even a dialogue in the film where a character says, ‘Brother, it’s you journalists who make everything about Hindu and Muslim. There’s no Hindu-Muslim conflict here. This is about shared history,’” the actor said.
“When someone says, ‘What should we do with this?’ another replies, ‘Break it.’ Then a character says, ‘No, brother, we’re not the ones who destroy. Not even a scratch should come to it. Every problem cannot be solved by breaking or destroying things. Sometimes, acceptance itself is a big thing.’”