BENGALURU: Lingayat community members, backed by their spiritual leaders, have listed 15 major errors in the controversial movie Sharanara Shakti, saying they are not only factually incorrect, but some are offensive. After watching the movie at a special screening on October 7 in Bengaluru, community leaders have warned that if the movie is released without rectifying the mistakes, legal action will be taken. Filmmakers have, meanwhile, announced that the scheduled release of the movie on October 18 will be postponed.
Retired IAS officer SM Jamadar, general secretary of the Global Lingayat Mahasabha, has issued a notice to film director Dileep Sharma and producer Aradhana Kulkarni, accusing them of incorrectly depicting Lingayat philosophy and beliefs. “Basavanna has been reduced to a mere devotee in the film, stripping him of his status as guru and philosopher,” he said. “A scene where Sharana Gollaleshwara kills his father flies in the face of our culture, and the depiction of Chennabasavanna conversing with others while still in Akka Nagamma’s womb is nothing short of scandalous.”
Jamadar said, “They have corrupted the spiritual legacy of the Lingayat community by including scenes that show Ishtalinga worship with the right hand, which is completely against our belief. Symbols like cows and a bull on Sharana’s clothing are misplaced. The omission of Moorusavira Math incident adds to this historical distortion.”
While some concerns raised in the film’s trailer were addressed, leaders said the most errors remain. “It seems like a failure in basic research and it could have been avoided,” Jamadar said. The notice demands that the filmmakers correct the mistakes and rescreen it to the community before its release.
A few days ago, Shankaragouda Biradar, founding president of the National Basava Sainik Organisation, and lawyer Ravi Rathod filed a complaint before the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, demanding that the film be banned.
Lingayat leaders said that the filmmakers’ decision to delay the movie’s release could be to accommodate the changes.