Bhubaneswar: Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri and chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) on Thursday demanded the postponement of an upcoming animation film based on Lord Jagannath, alleging that its content is fictitious and contrary to scriptural accounts.
The animation film, titled “Mahaprabhu Jagannath”, is scheduled for release on July 10, six days before the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath.
Expressing concern over the film’s portrayal of the deity, Deb said the official trailer, which is currently circulating on social media platforms, presents a “completely fictitious” narrative that is inconsistent with sacred scriptures.
“The official trailer of this movie portrays a completely fictitious story of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu. The story is contrary to the sacred narrations in our scriptures,” he said.
The Gajapati Maharaja asserted that any depiction or propagation of the glory of Lord Jagannath must be rooted in scriptural traditions, particularly those documented by Maharshi Vedavyasa.
He noted that Vedavyasa, who compiled and structured Vedic knowledge and the Puranas, described Lord Jagannath as the supreme and accessible manifestation of Lord Krishna.
Deb warned that any distorted or fictional presentation of the deity could hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees across the world.
Appealing to the filmmakers, he urged them to defer the release of the movie in theatres and on digital platforms until its content is reviewed and authenticated by experts appointed by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), one of the key bodies functioning under the SJTMC.
“The producers should postpone the release of the movie until its contents are authenticated by experts appointed by the SJTA,” he said.
The producers of the film have not yet issued any response to the objections raised by the temple authorities.
