Maharaj

In mid-nineteenth-century Bombay, the journalist Karsandas Mulji writes about a religious leader's abuse of women. The man sues him for libel. The case becomes a trial in a colonial court where religion and law face each other. Siddharth P. Malhotra directed. Junaid Khan plays Karsandas, Jaideep Ahlawat the religious leader. It is Junaid Khan's first film; he is Aamir Khan's son. The source is real: the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, considered a turning point for press freedom and for questioning religious authority in India. Its release was contested. After an application by members of a particular sect, the Gujarat High Court temporarily halted it; the block was lifted after review and the film went out on Netflix. The telling follows the classic period drama template, and the courtroom scenes are its strongest section. Jaideep Ahlawat plays the leader without letting him fall into caricature. Who it is for: viewers who like historical courtroom drama and Indian period films. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace; this is long and talkative.