- Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2 faced backlash over a fan-made poster showing him smoking in a turban
- A legal notice was sent for allegedly hurting Sikh religious sentiments due to tobacco depiction
- Sikh tradition strictly prohibits tobacco, viewing it as a grave breach of religious code
Ahead of the grand release of Dhurandhar 2, Ranveer Singh's film has faced backlash from the Sikh community over a fan-made poster. The poster in question shows Ranveer Singh smoking a cigarette while wearing a turban.
As per a Firstpost report, a legal notice was sent to the makers and other relevant authorities for allegedly hurting Sikh religious sentiments.
For the uninitiated, tobacco consumption is strictly prohibited for Sikhs.
Complainants argue that such a portrayal is religiously insensitive and misrepresents Sikh beliefs.
No official statement on this matter has been issued by the makers till now.
Backlash and the Truth
The controversy erupted after Paramjit Singh Sarna, president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi State), shared a detailed post on X slamming the AI-generated poster without knowing it's AI-made.
He wrote: "The poster of the 'Pralay' song from the film Dhurandhar 2 depicts a turbaned Sikh character holding a cigarette. This portrayal is deeply offensive and a serious violation of Sikh religious principles.
"In Sikh tradition, tobacco is strictly prohibited and regarded as a Bajjar Kurehit, one of the gravest breaches of the Sikh code of conduct. Displaying a Sikh wearing a Dastaar while holding a cigarette is therefore a blatant misrepresentation of Sikh identity and hurts the sentiments of Sikhs worldwide.
"The Sikh turban is a sacred article of faith. Its use in this context is completely irrelevant to the narrative of the film and appears to trivialise and misrepresent Sikh beliefs before a global audience. Such imagery directly attacks Sikh sentiments and projects a distorted understanding of the Sikh faith.
"We urge the concerned authorities to take immediate cognizance of this matter, investigate the portrayal, and direct the makers to remove or correct this offensive poster."
Soon after the post went viral, a large section of the Internet exposed the truth: the poster is fan-made, and the film doesn't have a new song titled "Pralay".
One person wrote: "There is no such song called Pralay in Dhurandhar 2, and the pic you have posted here is not an official one—it is a fan-made poster."
Another comment read: "Respected sir, please look into the poster. It is a fan-made or AI-generated poster. There is no song named 'Pralay' in Dhurandhar 2. Music rights for the film are with T-Series, and on that poster, Saregama Music is mentioned. Not an official poster. Research before posting."
About Dhurandhar 2
Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time last year. Within three months of its first instalment, the second part will hit theaters tomorrow, with paid previews scheduled today.