After protests, Mrunmayee Deshpande’s film returned with a new name

Manache Shlok is also the name of a collection of 205 shlokas written by Samarth Ramdas Swami about the mind and the development of spiritual qualities and devotional strength. The organisation, Shri Samarth Seva Mandal, took offence to the name of the film.

In a statement, the organisation had said, “If this name is used in the film for entertainment or some fictional plot and the story contains any scenes, dialogues or presentations that are inconsistent with the tradition of saints, obscene or distorted, then it will be a direct insult to the work of the national saint Shri Samarth Ramdas Swami and the tradition of saints.” They demanded that the name be changed.

When the film was shown, crowds gathered in and around halls in Kothrud and Dhayari, among others, and asked for the screenings to be halted. Police were called in. Cinema managers complied with the demands of the protestors, for the sake of safety.

Directed by Mrunmayee Deshpande, the film stars her, Rahul Pethe, Suvrat Joshi and Siddharth Menon, among others. After the protests, Deshpande had posted on social media, “The incidents during the screening of our film, Manache Shlok, in Pune, Sambhajinagar and western Maharashtra…have saddened us. In view of the events, we have decided to stop the screening of this film across Maharashtra. We will release this film with a new name on October 16. The film will be shown again.”

Fitting a Diwali release, Tu Bol Na is described by its creators as a “light-hearted, contemporary story of Manva and Shlok, two independent individuals questioning traditional ideas of marriage. As they face family expectations and societal norms, their journey unfolds with humour and relatable moments”.