Parents of martyred Indian Army officer Mohit Sharma approached the Delhi High Court to seek a stay on the release of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, claiming that the film is inspired by the life of their late son and has been made without their consent.
According to the petition, the film’s trailer, visual presentation, character design, military setting, and narrative almost resemble the real-life operations and sacrifice of Major Sharma, who lost his life in a counter-terrorism operation in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, in 2009.
Parents of Major Sharma said the movie is inspired by the life of their son and has been made without their consent. The makers also haven’t even approached or taken prior permission from the family or the Indian Army, they said.
The Sharma family stated that such unauthorised portrayal violates their right to ‘privacy, dignity, reputation and the posthumous personality rights of the martyr under Article 21 of the Constitution.’
The petition also says that Dhurandhar breaches national security, given that the film carries scenes of ‘sensitive military operations, undercover infiltration patterns, counter-terrorism strategies, special forces’ methodology and the internal structure of India's security apparatus’.
The petition names the Union ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Army, film director Aditya Dhar, and co-producer Jio Studios as respondents.
It seeks a stay on the film's commercial release, or alternatively, a private screening for the family before public release.
The petition also requests a declaration that no film portraying a real military martyr be released without authorisation from legal heirs and the Army, and a direction to protect Major Sharma's dignity, honour, and legacy.
The film, directed by Aditya Dhar, the film also stars Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun.
Produced by Lokesh Dhar, Dhurandhar is a collaboration between Jio Studios and B62 Studios. Inspired by true events, the film is reportedly set in the 1970s and 1980s and revolves around Indian spies.
Dhurandhar is set to release theatrically on 5 December. Ranveer recently attended the closing ceremony of the 56th IFFI at Goa to promote the film.