Adipurush Lyricist Manoj Muntashir Says Hanuman 'Bhagwaan Nahi Hai,' Lands In Big Trouble

Adipurush, starring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon, has been embroiled in one controversy after other ever since its release. Now, its dialogue writer and lyricist Manoj Muntashir Shukla has irked netizens for saying “Lord Hanuman is not a God.” Adipurush has been receiving backlash for its “distorted” depiction of Ramayana, particularly the dialogues of Hanuman’s character, which many dubbed as “overly colloquial”.

Manoj Muntashir is once again being subjected to severe criticism for making a controversial statement regarding Lord Hanuman in his recent interview. “Bajrangbali bhagwaan nahi hai, bhakt hai. Humne unko bhagwaan banaya hai kyuki unki bhakti mein wo power tha (Lord Hanuman is not God but a mere devotee. We made him God because his devotion had that power),” Manoj told Aaj Tak while defending the “oversimplified” dialogues in the movie. Manoj’s statement has left netizens angry.

Meanwhile, Adipurush witnessed a massive drop on Monday, day 4, at the box office amid a growing backlash against the film. Directed by Om Raut, the film managed to record a good opening weekend. However, trade expert Taran Adarsh revealed that the film nosedived on Monday.

A Pinkvilla report also stated that the film witnessed a downfall of 75 to 77 perceont at the box office. As a result, the film collected only Rs 8.5 crores nett box office collection on its Day 4 at the box office for its Hindi version.