Odisha: Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy movie faces a new controversy

Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi’s multilingual period film Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy faces a new controversy. Some well-known personalities from Odisha have raised questions on the film.

While the story of the upcoming movie has been touted as the first revolt against the British empire, it contradicts the history of the Paika Rebellion which has been widely recognized as the First War of Independence against the British.

This movie which is based on the life of freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy shows that Narasimha Reddy had led the first war of freedom in 1846. In the trailer, Amitabh Bachhan is saying that “this is the first war for freedom, you have to win this”.

READ: Odisha boy Omm Subham Mohapatra in the finale of Dance Deewane 2

The government of India tells something else. In October 2017, the government of India has recognized the Paika revolt (1817) as the first war of independence (earlier it was Revolt of 1857). The Paika Rebellion of Odisha has been included in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus. ‘The Khurda Uprising – A Case Study’ is being taught to the Class VIII CBSE students.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan too said, “As an Odia, I can say that Paika Bidroha is a prominent event in the history of Indian revolution against the British. But it won’t be appropriate to say anything else other than that.”