Pakistan’s Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Sardar Ali Shah has called the recently released Bollywood movie Mohenjo Daro ‘a mockery of highly developed culture of the 5000-year-old Indus Valley civilization’. He has also asked Ashutosh Gowariker, the director of the movie, to tender an apology for distorting facts.
According to Shah, the movie depicted figments of imagination of the filmmaker, and had nothing to do with the actual history of Mohenjo-Daro. He added that the world acknowledged the importance of various historical sites in Sindh, evident from the fact that Makli necropolis and Mohenjo-Daro had been included in the list of international heritage sites and UNESCO was caring for them in coordination with the Pakistan government.
This is not the first time Mohenjo Daro is being criticised over historical inaccuracy. Many historians had pointed out many factual mistakes in the film’s portrayal of the era, right from the release of the trailer.
Mohenjo Daro, starring Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde and Kabir Bedi in main roles, released on the 12th of August to mixed reviews. The film went on to collect 102.82 crore worldwide in 10 days. Gowariker’s previous film with Hrithik Roshan – Jodhaa Akbar too had its fair share of controversies with regard to historical accuracies. The director had also made Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, based on the Chittagong Uprising of 1930.