Maharana Pratap Tribute ‘Shoorveer’ In Mirzapur Triggers Row, BJP Leader Seeks CBFC Intervention

Jaipur: A controversy has erupted over the use of the song “Shoorveer” in the film “Mirzapur.” Senior Rajasthan BJP leader and former Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore has objected to the use of the song Shoorveer, dedicated to Maharana Pratap, in gangster-related scenes in Mirzapur: The Movie and has urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to remove the song from the film.

In his letter to the CBFC, Rathore has alleged that the song has been used alongside scenes involving gangster and criminal characters, which has caused widespread resentment among sections of society.

Rathore said that the Shoorveer song was created as a tribute to Maharana Pratap's valor, sacrifice, and self-respect. Associating it with characters and settings depicting crime, violence, and gang culture, he said, distorted the original sentiment of the song and hurt the historical and cultural legacy associated with the Mewar ruler.

“The use of the song Shoorveer in the Mirzapur movie with gangsters, drug addicts, and rapists is highly objectionable and hurts public sentiments,” Rathore said in the letter.

He further argued that Maharana Pratap was not merely a historical figure associated with Mewar or Rajasthan but a national symbol of courage, sacrifice, and self-respect.

The BJP leader also referred to objections reportedly raised publicly by the singer of the song, Repiya Balam, who had said that the song was dedicated to Maharana Pratap and that permission was not sought from him for its use in the film.

Rathore has urged the CBFC to direct the removal of the song from Mirzapur: The Movie and ensure that songs, symbols, and references associated with historical figures are not used in ways that could offend public sentiments.

“Freedom of expression cannot be a justification for tampering with or insulting our great historical personalities, heroes, and cultural heritage,” Rathore said.