The Taj Story (2025) – A Controversial Cinematic Venture
A controversial Hindi-language film that challenges the established history of the Taj Mahal, presenting a revisionist narrative about its origins.
Key Details:
- Release Date: October 31, 2025
- Director: Tushar Amrish Goel
- Producer: CA Suresh Jha (Swarnim Global Services Pvt. Ltd.)
- Star Cast: Paresh Rawal, Zakir Hussain, Amruta Khanvilkar, Namit Das, Sneha Wagh.
Central Controversy:
The film promotes the widely debunked theory that the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple named “Tejo Mahalaya,” a claim historically associated with P.N. Oak and dismissed by the Supreme Court of India and mainstream historians.
Critical & Public Reception:
- Overwhelmingly Negative Reviews: Critics panned the film for its weak script, lazy writing, poor execution, and heavy-handed propaganda. It was described as an “overstretched,” “bird-brained” film that “masquerades neutrality while feeding an ideological hunger.”
- Low Ratings: Consistently received ratings between 1.5 and 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Major Controversies and Allegations:
- Propaganda Label: Widely accused of being a Hindutva-centric propaganda piece designed to fuel communal tensions and revise historical narratives.
- Inflammatory Marketing: The initial motion poster, showing a Shiva idol emerging from the Taj Mahal, caused a major backlash, forcing the team to issue a disclaimer.
- CBFC Scrutiny: Faced an unusually rigorous certification process from the Central Board of Film Certification, which demanded historical evidence for its claims.
- Historical Revisionism: The narrative is seen as part of a broader cultural-political movement to recast India’s Islamic heritage as foreign.
Bottom Line:
“The Taj Story” presents itself as a historical inquiry but was received by critics and audiences as a poorly-made film with a divisive agenda. It sparked significant debate about historical accuracy, freedom of expression, and the use of cinema for political messaging, ultimately failing to impress on both cinematic and intellectual grounds.