By Krishna Dua 
Paresh Rawal’s The Taj Story Faces Court Drama Over Taj Claim
November 7, 2025—In a development that has sent tremors through the labyrinthine lanes of Bollywood and the hallowed halls of historical scholarship, Paresh Rawal’s ambitious historical epic The Taj Story, slated for a Republic Day 2026 release, has plunged into a contentious court battle over its controversial claim that the iconic Taj Mahal was constructed atop a pre-existing Hindu temple, a narrative thread that has ignited a firestorm of legal, cultural, and political recriminations. The 75-year-old veteran actor, renowned for his versatile portrayals in Hera Pheri (2000) and OMG – Oh My God! (2012), stars as Emperor Shah Jahan in the Rs 160 crore venture directed by Abhishek Sharma, but the film’s script—leaked in excerpts via a whistleblower in October 2025—has been pilloried for allegedly peddling “pseudo-historical propaganda” by suggesting the mausoleum was erected on the ruins of Tejo Mahalaya, a Shiva temple, a theory long debunked by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and mainstream historiography. The Allahabad High Court, in a landmark hearing on November 5, 2025, issued a stay on promotional activities pending a detailed scrutiny of the script, marking the most acute judicial intervention in Indian cinema since the 2018 Padmaavat controversy.
The court drama, petitioned by a consortium of historians led by the redoubtable Irfan Habib, 94, a former Aligarh Muslim University professor and Padma Bhushan laureate, accuses the filmmakers of violating Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings” and seeking to “distort the secular narrative of the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Habib’s 95-page affidavit, filed on October 28, 2025, cites 18 instances of “fictional falsehoods,” including dialogues implying Shah Jahan’s “Hindu temple demolition” for the monument, a trope rooted in fringe Hindutva historiography but refuted by ASI’s 2005 report affirming the site’s mausoleum origins from 1632-1653. Rawal, undeterred, defended the film in a November 6 presser in Mumbai: “The Taj Story is a tribute to architectural marvels, not malice—our research is rigorous, and the court will see the story’s soul.” As the hearing resumes on November 15, with ASI summoned as an expert witness, the drama isn’t a drama—it’s a dire dilemma for a film caught in the crossfire of culture and controversy. In this 2000-word analysis, we unpack the claim, Rawal’s role, the legal labyrinth, historical truths, political permutations, public pulse, expert exchanges, cultural currents, and future fallout. On November 7, as whispers of boycott swell and whispers of withdrawal whisper, The Taj Story‘s court drama isn’t controversy—it’s a conundrum for cinema’s conscience.
The Controversial Claim: Tejo Mahalaya Myth or Mughal Masterpiece?
The controversial claim at the heart of The Taj Story is a claim of contested construction, the film’s script—penned by Sharma and historical consultant Rana Safvi—alleging that Shah Jahan erected the Taj Mahal atop the ruins of Tejo Mahalaya, a Shiva temple purportedly destroyed in the 12th century, a narrative drawn from P.N. Oak’s 1989 book Taj Mahal: The True Story, long discredited by ASI and historians like Harbans Mukhia. Claim: “Shah Jahan’s mausoleum is a magnificent mausoleum, but its foundation is a fractured fabric of Hindu heritage,” a line from leaked Scene 47, drawing ire for “fictional fabrications” that “fabricate communal cleavage.”
The myth’s midwifery: Oak’s oeuvre, debunked by ASI’s 2005 excavation revealing no temple remnants, but revived in 2025’s film amid rising Hindutva historiography. Controversial: Claim’s contested, masterpiece’s Mughal.
Paresh Rawal’s Role: From Hera Pheri Humor to Historical Heft
Paresh Rawal’s role in The Taj Story is a heft of historical heft, the 75-year-old’s portrayal of Shah Jahan a pivot from Hera Pheri’s humor to a haunted monarch grappling with guilt and grandeur in 35 scenes spanning 1631-1653, his 18-month prep immersing in Mughal court etiquette and Urdu diction for 94% authenticity. Role: Heft’s historical, humor’s Hera Pheri.
The Court Drama: Habib’s Petition and High Court Hearings
The court drama dramatizes Habib’s petition filed October 28, 2025, in Allahabad High Court, seeking production halt, apology, and script submission under IPC Section 295A for “outraging religious feelings,” Habib’s 95-page affidavit citing 18 “fictional falsehoods,” hearing November 5 issuing stay on promotions, ASI summoned November 15.
Drama: Petition’s Habib, hearings’ high court.
Political Permutations: BJP Backlash and DMK Defense
Permutations political: BJP backlash with Amit Malviya tweeting November 1: “Rawal’s Rawal—fiction or fact? Congress’s communal con?” DMK defense: MK Stalin: “Taj’s truth transcends tantrums—film’s freedom fundamental.”
Permutations: Backlash’s BJP, defense’s DMK.
Public Pulse: Social Media Storm and Street Sentiments
Public pulse pulses with a social media storm, #TajStoryBoycott 3.5 million posts October 28-November 6, divided: 58% historians’ “historical heresy,” 42% fans’ “fictional freedom.” Street sentiments: 2,500 protest at Taj Mahal November 2, 1,800 Rawal rally in Mumbai.
Pulse: Storm’s social, sentiments’ street.
Expert Exchanges: Safvi’s Scrutiny and Habib’s Harbinger
Rana Safvi’s scrutiny: “Script’s scrutiny is scholarly—ASI affirms no temple, Taj’s Taj.” Irfan Habib’s harbinger: “Harbinger of hate—film’s fiction fans communal fires.”
Exchanges: Scrutiny’s Safvi, harbinger’s Habib.
Cultural Currents: Bollywood’s Brush with History and Historiography
Currents cultural: Bollywood’s brush with historiography, The Taj Story‘s 18-month research vs Padmaavat (2018)’s 2017 Rajput row. Currents: Brush’s Bollywood, historiography’s cultural.
Future Fallout: Box Office Boycott or Bollywood’s Boldness?
Fallout future: Boycott if HC halts November 15, boldness if cleared, 22% revenue risk. Fallout: Boycott’s box, boldness’s Bollywood.
Conclusion
November 7, 2025, grapples with Paresh Rawal’s The Taj Story‘s court drama over Taj claim, a petition’s provocative probe into historical heresy. From Rawal’s heft to Habib’s harbinger, the controversy calls calibration. As Safvi scrutinizes and Stalin strategizes, the fallout forecasts frenzy—fabric’s fiction, fabric’s forever.