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Santosh Kumar Maurya, under-secretary in the ministry, said in a notice issued to Rajesh More of P P Cine Production, the film's producer who is a resident of Lokhandwala Complex, Kandivali East, that the film's trailer contains scenes which may misrepresent the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and may result in public misinformation and hurt public sentiments.

Mumbai: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that the trailer of the Marathi film 'Khalid Ka Shivaji' indicates that the film contains factually incorrect and historically unsubstantiated claims. The producers have been asked to submit supporting historical material, expert reports, or references relied upon during the making of the film.

Santosh Kumar Maurya, under-secretary in the ministry, said in a notice issued to Rajesh More of P P Cine Production, the film's producer who is a resident of Lokhandwala Complex, Kandivali East, that the film's trailer contains scenes which may misrepresent the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and may result in public misinformation and hurt public sentiments.

The notice was issued under section 6(2) of the Cinematograph Act. The film had been certified for release on August 8 by the Central Board of Film Certification. The ministry said that it come to their notice that protests were staged against the film during the Maharashtra State Film Awards function demanding a ban on the film and deletion of the controversial dialogues. The film was recently exhibited abroad at a film festival. There is apprehension that the exhibition of this film in its presant form may lead to law and order problems in the State of Maharashtra, the ministry added.

The notice further said that failure to submit supporting historical material, expert reports, or references relied upon during the making of the film, will invite further action under applicable provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

Hindu groups have accused the makers of the film, a story of a Muslim boy inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, of fabricating stories such as Shivaji building a mosque at Raigad Fort, his capital, and that nearly a third of his army consisted of Muslims.

In a complaint to the Central Board of Film Certification and the Mumbai police on August 4, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal said that the film's trailer contains historically incorrect information and distorted the Maratha king's character. Apart from rejecting the film's claims about Chhatrapati Shivaji's Muslim soldiers and the mosque, the Hindu organisations have said that the information in the film that 11 of the Maratha king's 35 personal bodyguards were Muslims, is incorrect and not endorsed by historical records. The film also claims that 35% of the soldiers in his army were Muslims.

The Hindu organisations said the claims are not based on any contemporary historical evidence or research by renowned historians The claims create a greater risk of spreading misinformation and confusion, especially among young people and students, said Ranjit Jadhav Bajrang Dal, Konkan province convenor.

Gautam Ravaria, Bajrang Dal Konkan province co-convener, added that their activists will shut down theatres that screened the film.