- Vivek Sinha claims he faced online abuse for playing terrorist Zahoor Mistry in Dhurandhar
- Sinha clarified he is Indian, from Bijnor, not Pakistani or a terrorist
- Dhurandhar 2 trailer reignited memories of the 1999 Kandahar hijack
"Hindu bahut hee darpok qaum hai. Pados mein hee rehte hain hum, goode bhar ka zor laga lo aur bigaad lo jo bigaad sakte ho." Indians saw red when they heard Kandahar hijacker Zahoor Mistry say these dialogues in Dhurandhar. R Madhavan's IB Director Ajay Sanyal was fuming and so were many in the theatres.
Vivek Sinha, who played Zahoor Mistry in Dhurandhar, was so compelling as the infamous terrorist that many started targeting the actor online. The attacks only intensified after the trailer of Dhurandhar 2 brought back the nightmare of the 1999 IC814 Kandahar hijack. The trailer of the Dhurandhar sequel, set to hit the screens on March 19, begins with Zahoor Mistry's open challenge to Indian authorities.
Vivek Sinha eventually released a video statement on his Instagram page, clarifying that he is not Pakistani and certainly not a terrorist.
"Bhai itna gussa, itne saare comments. Pata hai har comment mein kya ho raha hai? 'Teri shaql humein aatankwadi jaisi lag rahi hai', 'Mann kar raha hai ki screen ke andar ghuske maarte hain', 'Tune humein gussa dila diya'... Ek baat boloon? Itna achha laga na mujhe ye jo deshbhakti hai na hamare andar, salute hai isko. Ek keh raha hai, 'Tujhe Pakistan mein ghuskar maaroonga'. (Such anger, so many comments. Do you know what each comment says? 'You look like a terrorist', 'I feel like thrashing you through the screen', 'You have made us angry'... Should I tell you something? I salute this patriotism. One is saying, 'I'll come to Pakistan and beat you)" the actor says in the clip.
Vivek Sinha then introduced himself, saying that he is not a Pakistani.
"Bhai main Pakistan ka nahin hoon main Bijnor ka rehne wala hoon, Dhampur mera shehar hai, aur main Mumbai mein rehta hoon. Ek keh rahi hain, 'Sir mera mann kar raha hai aapko do-chaar gaali de doon, aapne itna achha kaam kiya hai'. Aap gaali bhi de do, itna pyaar mil raha hai, thank you so much. (I'm not from Pakistan. I'm from Bijnor, Dhampur is my city, and I live in Mumbai. One of you is saying, 'Sir I feel like abusing you because you have done such a good job in the film'. You can abuse me too. I'm getting so much love)" he adds.
Towards the end, Vivek Sinha appealed to his fans and followers to go watch Dhurandhar 2 in theatres.
"My name is Vivek Sinha (and) I am not a terrorist," the actor later wrote on Instagram, referencing the popular dialogue from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name Is Khan (2010).
Dhurandhar 2, starring Ranveer Singh and directed by Aditya Dhar, has already earned Rs 130 crore in advance booking. Paid previews of the spy action thriller begin tomorrow, March 18, a day before the worldwide release of the film.
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