A film teaser drops.
The internet erupts.
But not for the reason the makers expected.
Shraddha Kapoor, draped in lavani finery, transforms into one of Maharashtra's greatest folk legends — Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar.
The scene? Unreal.
She performs on stage… heavily pregnant.
Goes backstage mid-show.
Gives birth.
Cuts the umbilical cord with a stone.
And walks right back onto the stage.
🤯 That actually happened. In real life.
One word.
The title.
The film is called 'Eetha'.
Not Vitha. Not Vithabai. Eetha.
And Vithabai's family is not having it.
Her sons Kailash and Rajesh Narayangaonkar, along with grandson Mohit, have publicly demanded a rename.
The NCP's Film and Cultural Department is standing right beside them.
Their argument is simple but sharp:
A woman of that stature, they say, deserves her name on the poster.
Not a stylised abbreviation.
Director Laxman Utekar — fresh off Chhaava's monster run — hasn't responded.
Maddock Films? Radio silence.
No statement. No clarification. Nothing.
Meanwhile, the controversy keeps growing.
A title fight before a single ticket is sold.
This isn't really about one word.
It's about who gets to frame a legend's story.
The filmmakers? Or the family that lived it?
Vithabai performed through pregnancy, poverty, and prejudice.
She gave Maharashtra its rhythm.
And now, decades after her death in 2002, her grandchildren are fighting for one thing the world owes her —
👉 Her full name on the marquee.
'Eetha' releases on August 28, with Randeep Hooda and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub joining Shraddha on screen.
The box office may roar.
But the loudest question right now isn't about the film.
It's about respect.
And whether a legend's name is worth more than a stylish title card.
Vithabai's family already knows the answer.
That's all for now!
