Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao surrendered before a court in Jalandhar on Monday (July 28) in connection with a case related to his 2017 film Behen Hogi Teri. The case stemmed from a complaint alleging that a scene in the film, in which Rajkummar appeared dressed as Lord Shiva while riding a motorcycle, offended religious sentiments.
After presenting himself before the court, the actor was granted conditional bail. The matter has been adjourned, with the next hearing set for July 30.
What is the case?
A digital poster of the film, released on April 4, 2017, showed Rajkummar dressed as Lord Shiva, seated casually on a silver motorbike (with Uttar Pradesh number plate). Several symbolic elements like moon‑crescent and rudraksha beads also features in the poster.
This had led to strong public outrage in Jalandhar, where a private criminal complaint was filed alleging hurt religious sentiments
As a result, the director Ajay K Pannalal and producer Tony D'Souza were arrested in Mumbai on May 26, 2017, and later granted bail.
The case was initially registered in 2017 by Ishant Sharma, a Hindu leader and film producer, at Police Division No. 5 in Jalandhar.
In his complaint, Sharma alleged that Lord Shiva was depicted in a 'disrespectful' manner in the film, which he claimed was offensive and hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
According to media reports, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had asked the makers to remove a scene showing Rajkummar in Lord Shiva's avatar falling off the bike as that could be perceived as disrespectful to the deity. However, the final film, including the scene and avatar, was certified U/A and released without any cuts on June 9, 2017.
Behen Hogi Teri film flopped at the box office, earning reportedly Rs 3.06 crore total worldwide and receiving lukewarm to negative reviews. Critics acknowledged Rajkummar's performance as the only redeeming feature of an otherwise poorly scripted film.
