The yet to release picture Zila Gorakhpur is embroiled in a political controversy as BJP leaders have threatened to stall its release in Uttar Pradesh saying it has wrongly projected the image of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The bone of contention is a poster where the back of a saffron clad bald man carrying a pistol is shown. Though the filmmakers say it was not the picture of the CM, BJP leaders are not convinced and have lodged an FIR against filmmaker Vinod Tiwari.

The poster also shows part of a temple, which BJP leaders say is depiction of Gorakhanth temple in Gorakhpur. Yogi is Mahant of that temple. The poster was released on Sunday.

Though the film was being seen as a biopic of Adityanath, buzz is that it is based on a mob lynching incident.

BJP leader I P Singh has filed an FIR against Tiwari and others with the lucknow police. The FIR was registered at Hazratganj police station in the state capital under section 153(A), 295(A), 500,501,503,507 and 66(A) of the IPC against the filmmakers for trying to insult Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Adityanath.

Demanding that a probe should be ordered on the source of funding of this film, he said BJP would not allow the release of this film.

In a tweet Singh said, “The filmmaker has crossed his limit. For earning some money he was trying to create disturbances in the society.

In another tweet, the BJP leader said, “The filmmaker has attacked the Hindu culture to gain cheap popularity and it was an effort to malign the image of chief minister Yogi Adityanatah hence I have lodged an FIR against the filmmaker in lucknow.”