A new Hindi film titled ‘The Taj Story’, starring veteran actor Paresh Rawal, claims to reveal the ‘truth’ behind the Taj Mahal, alleging it was once a Hindu temple named Tejo Mahalaya. This theory, first proposed by revisionist writer P.N. Oak in the 1980s, has been repeatedly discredited by historians and India’s Archaeological Survey. Despite lacking evidence, the narrative has resurfaced under the influence of Hindutva politics, which seeks to reinterpret India’s Islamic heritage as foreign and glorify a continuous Hindu past. The film’s release aligns with broader political efforts by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to reshape historical narratives, including textbook revisions and renaming cities with Islamic origins. Critics argue that such cultural projects deepen communal divisions and legitimize exclusionary nationalism. The Taj Mahal controversy, therefore, symbolizes a larger ideological struggle over India’s pluralistic history and identity.