Key Points:
The poster for Paresh Rawal’s upcoming movie, The Taj Story, has caused a stir on the internet.
Critics have called that the movie propaganda, arguing it will spark communal tensions.
While the plot has not been revealed, teasers have point to a relation with the 'Tejo Mahalaya' conspiracy theory.
Paresh Rawal’s upcoming movie, The Taj Story, has caused a stir on the internet. On Monday, 29 September 2025, Rawal released a poster for the film showing him lifting the dome off the Taj Mahal to reveal a statue of Shiva. This prompted backlash from netizens, who branded the movie as propaganda meant to fuel communal tensions.
The Taj Story, written and directed by Tushar Amrish Goel, is set to be released on 31 October 2025. It claims to “unveil the facts” behind the Taj Mahal. Though an official synopsis has not been released, the poster’s tagline read, “What if everything you’ve been taught is a lie? The truth isn’t just hidden; it’s being judged.”
Users took to social media to voice their concerns. “Another propaganda movie built on a conspiracy theory that's been debunked countless times. Why can't Sanghis accept real history? Bitter or sweet, history is history,” one user wrote.
Another said, “I'm deeply concerned about the current direction our country is taking. It's disheartening to see efforts to create division between Hindus and Muslims for the sake of vote bank politics. This isn't progress - it's a step backwards.”
Asking if the poster was some kind of joke, a third user commented, “A country that claims to be the fourth-largest economy is so indulged in propaganda and fantasy that even propaganda would feel ashamed.”
The producers of the film, Swarnim Global Services Pvt. Ltd., responded to these allegations with the following disclaimer: “The makers of the film The Taj Story clarify that the movie does not deal with any religious matters, nor does it claim that a Shiv temple resides within the Taj Mahal. It focuses solely on historical facts. We kindly request viewers to watch the film and form their own opinion.”
In a teaser of the film, released on 14 August 2025, Rawal can be seen arguing in court against the intellectual erasure of an entire community; he says, “If we don’t raise our questions now, our heritage and our very existence will come into question.”
From these points, it isn’t hard to conclude that the upcoming movie revolves around the ‘Taj Mahal-Tejo Mahalaya’ conspiracy theory.
See Also: What's behind the claim about the Taj Mahal being a Hindu Temple?
The Taj Mahal is a monument of love, built by Shah Jahan for his late wife Mumtaz Mahal. Commissioned in the 17th century, the monument houses the tombs of both the emperor and empress.
The Tejo Mahalaya claim disputes this. First put forth by revisionist PN Oak in 1989, the theory claims that the Taj Mahal was built on top of a Shiv temple from the 12th century built by the Hindu ruler Jai Singh. It asserts that Shah Jahan coopted the existing structure after Mumtaz’s death and labelled it a mausoleum so that he could hide all the wealth he had looted inside. A central argument to the theory has to do with the 22 locked rooms within the monument, which, the claim goes, is where the looted wealth is hidden.
Since the release of The Taj Story’s controversial poster, Goel, who directed the film, has uploaded additional posters in line with these claims. One reads, “Kya wakai Taj Mahal Shahjahan ne banwaya tha? Yaa...?” while another asks, “Akhir kya hai Taj Mahal ke neeche band 22 kamro ka raaz...?”
The long-debunked conspiracy theory that has seen a resurgence in recent times.
In 2018, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) released a report concluding that the Taj Mahal was not built atop any Hindu temple. Records from the time of construction still exist and show that the land was purchased by Shah Jahan. Witness accounts from the time also detail the monument’s construction.
Furthermore, established historians have dismissed the conspiracy as being a ‘fantasy’. William Dalrymple, one of the foremost scholars of Indian history, told India Today that “The idea that the Taj was once a Shiva temple is ludicrous and malicious nonsense, with no foundation in fact, and is rejected by all serious scholars.”
He adds that PN Oak, who came up with the theory, is an unreliable source. Some of Oak’s other claims are that Argentina, the South American country, was originally called Arjun Tina, and that Salisbury, an English cathedral city, was actually named Shiva Puri.
Despite this, the conspiracy has found a place in contemporary political rhetoric. It usually finds mention alongside related planks like the Krishna Janmabhoomi movement and Gyanvapi dispute. Though not as central as the other two, right-wing politicians and groups still raise the point from time to time.
In 2014, BJP leader Laxmikant Bajpai raised the issue when it was proposed that the Taj Mahal be declared a Waqf property. This claim was repeated in 2017 by Vinay Katiyar, BJP politician and founder of the Bajrang Dal. He added that water dripping from the roof of the mausoleum was proof that it used to house a Shivling. In 2022, Rajneesh Singh, a BJP spokesperson, demanded an investigation into the monument’s history and its 22 sealed rooms. The same year, BJP MP Diya Kumari, Princess of Jaipur, claimed that the land where the tomb was built used to belong to her family. In February 2025, an activist from the All-India Hindu Mahasabha secretly performed Jalabhishek on a Shivling inside the Taj Mahal.
It is worth noting that Paresh Rawal, who is leading the film, and Suresh Jha, who produced it, are both associated with the BJP as well. This adds to critics’ arguments that this is the latest in a series of propaganda films with a communal agenda, like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story, and most recently, The Bengal Files. [Rh/DS]
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