Hindu Janjagruti Samiti demands to organisers of Goa Marathi Film Festival : Withdraw screening of the film ‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’, glorifying the British, denigrating Hindu Deities and insulting Saints
Panaji : The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has demanded to ‘Vinson World’, the organisers of the Goa Marathi Film Festival, to withdraw screening of ‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’ directed by Paresh Mokashi, in the 8th Goa Marathi Film Festival. The said film glorifies the British, denigrates Hindu Deities and insult Saints. The Varkari sect and rituals like Ekadashi appear to have been ridiculed with a motive in the said movie.
The objectionable part of the film ‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’ is as follows – The word ‘Ekadashi ‘ is the tithi (eleventh day of the lunar month of Hindu Calendar) which is related to Hindu God Bhagwan Vishnu. In Hindu Dharma, there are twenty four Ekadashis in a year; but by naming it as Elizabeth, the filmmaker has created a 25th ‘Ekadashi’ which is misleading and denigrating, thus, hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. The poster of the film displays the cycle “Elizabeth” mounted on a brick which is akin to the depiction of Bhagvan Vitthal standing on the brick thrown by his devotee Pundalik , also shows Bhagwan Vitthal on cycle . This is also distortion of the depiction and hurting of religious sentiments of Hindus. In the film, Scientist Newton is called as ‘Sant’ (Saint) Newton which is again misleading and defamation of the term ‘Saint’. On the whole, it appears that people having no faith in God, not abiding by.
Dharma have distorted history and Spirituality and have made the film presenting sensitive issues wrongly. A scene of counting the money donated by devotees visiting the temple in Pandharpur is repeatedly shown, attempting to show that people are donating money ‘unnecessarily to God made of stone’. In one of the scenes, a prostitute is shown saying, ‘This year the “wari” was good.’ It is shown in the film that the ‘wari’ last year was not attended by many due to famine; thus affecting her business; but this year she made good money. The copies of this memorandum will be sent to the Goa Government’s Art and Culture department, Goa Entertainment Society.
