The other day on Marathi TV comedy Phu Bai Phu (फू बाई फू) I saw Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar teased rather crudely. (Even otherwise the quality of comedy in the said program is very ordinary and just proves one more time how badly Marathi TV needs quality scripts.)
[p.s. In the finale of this contest, televised on August 15 2010, which I watched for first 10 minutes, there were tasteless jokes about Birbal and Jodha Bai. I feel terribly ashamed of this.]
Since Prithviraj Kapoor's theatrical performance as Akbar in Mughal-e-Azam (1960), he has been up for some fun for last fifty years.
Akbar does not mind. Neither has it seemed Akbar's supporters.
Shahu IV (1874-1922), aka Rajarshi Shahu, used to rever both Akbar and Shivaji. Even Shivaji has praised Akbar in glowing terms to his great-grandson Aurangzeb in a famous letter.
Will Shivaji's followers tolerate even a slight fun of him?
Isn't Akbar as much ours as Shivaji?