Sara, Sushant starrer Kedarnath in trouble; priests demand blanket ban

The teaser of Abhishek Kapoor's Kedarnath, starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan, was released recently and won appreciation from all corners. However, it managed to stir up a controversy for allegedly hurting the Hindu religious sentiments. As per a report in Hindustan Times, the teerth purohits (priests) of the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand's Chardham have demanded a blanket ban on the film as it promotes love jihad.

"We will launch an agitation if the movie is not banned as we have been told that it hurts the Hindu religious sentiments by promoting 'love jihad'," stated Vinod Shukla, chairman of the Kedar Sabha.

For the unversed, the film is set against the calamitous floods that hit the town in 2013 and left thousands of people dead. While Sushant plays a Muslim named Mansoor, Sara will be seen playing a Hindu girl named Mukku.

Meanwhile Ajendra Ajay, part of Uttarakhand BJP's media relations team, has also raised objections on the film's poster that "shows the hero, a Muslim carrying the heroine, a Hindu." Pointing out that "kissing and romantic scenes in a holy place worshipped by crores of people are a disrespect to the religion", he has urged Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Prasoon Joshi to ban the film completely.

Although the makers have not yet provided their stance on the issue, what fate does the film has in store, is still left to be seen,