Ashutosh Gowariker's Panipat landed itself in another controversy when royals from Rajasthan objected against showing their ancestor Maharaja Surajmal of Bharatpur as not helping the Maratha army while they were retreating after the battle. Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan fact-checked the film and in a series of tweets revealed that the depiction of Maharaja Surajmal in Panipat is wrong and ill-informed.
Panipat stars Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles.
On Sunday, IFS officer Parveen Kaswan tweeted, "Not only wrong but also ill-informed depiction of Maharaja SurajMal in #Panipat movie. His few advices to Marathas: 1) Don't bring women & children with army. Will be costly & dangerous. 2) Attack in summer, more success 3) Dont fight straight with big army, go for raids first. 4) Don't loot forts at Delhi. It will unite muslim rulers with Abdali 5) Fact is Agra was already with Surajmal even before battle. Issue was of Delhi fort which if given to Surajmal he would supply food to army. 6) Fact is Surajmal used to speak in Brij bhasha not Haryanavi."
IFS officer Parveen Kaswan is not the only speaking against the portrayal of Maharaja Surajmal in Panipat. Rajasthan minister Vishvendra Singh, who is also a member of the royal family in Rajasthan, has called for a ban on screening of the film. Panipat tells the story of the Third Battle of Panipat fought in 1761 between the Marathas and Afghan King Ahmad Shah Abdali.
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Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje also criticized the film. "The incorrect portrayal of the noble, self-respecting, highly revered Maharaja Surajmal is condemnable," she tweeted in Hindi.
