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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a plea challenging the Orissa high court’s order staying the release of the animated film “Mahaprabhu Jagannath”, which has become the centre of a controversy over its portrayal of Lord Jagannath.The development comes a day after the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) urged the makers to postpone the film’s release, alleging that it presents a fictional version of the deity’s life that is inconsistent with Hindu scriptures.The appeal was made by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri and chairman of the SJTMC, the highest decision-making body of the 12th-century Jagannath Temple.The animated film was originally scheduled to release on July 10, just days before the annual Rath Yatra festival.Referring to the trailer already circulating on social media, Deb said it depicts “a completely fictitious story of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu” and claimed that the narrative does not conform to the sacred texts associated with Lord Jagannath.“The official trailer of this movie, which has been released and is in circulation on social media, portrays a completely fictitious story of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu. The story is contrary to the sacred narrations in our scriptures,” he said.Deb maintained that any attempt to depict the glory of Lord Jagannath should remain faithful to scriptural accounts, particularly those documented by Maharshi Vedavyasa, who compiled the Vedas and Puranas and described Lord Jagannath as the accessible form of Lord Krishna.He warned that a “distorted and fictitious” portrayal of the deity could deeply offend millions of devotees across the world.“I therefore appeal to the producers of this movie, Ele Animations Pvt Ltd of Bhubaneswar, to postpone the release of this movie in theatres or social media platforms until the contents of the movie are authenticated by experts appointed by Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA),” Deb told PTI.The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) is one of the key committees under the SJTMC. The producers of Mahaprabhu Jagannath are yet to respond publicly to the objections raised by the temple authorities.
