- R Madhavan clarified no cigarette smoke appeared while reciting Dasam Granth in Dhurandhar 2
- Shiv Sena leader Gurjeet Singh Kher filed an FIR over the scene hurting Sikh religious sentiments
- Kher demanded apologies from Aditya Dhar, R Madhavan, and Ranveer Singh for the portrayal
Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar: The Revenge once again lands in controversy. A Shiv Sena leader has filed a complaint over a particular sequence in the film where R Madhavan's character Ajay Sanyal, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, is seen smoking while reciting a verse from the sacred Dasam Granth. This has hurt Sikh religious sentiments, as it shows disrespect towards Guru Gobind Singh and Gurbani. R Madhavan took to Instagram earlier today to clarify the statements made.
What R Madhavan Said
R Madhavan began the clip by saying, "Dhurandhar ke pure parivaar ke ore se, aap sabka bahut dhanyavaad humein itna pyaar dene ke liye. Haali mein humko pata chala hai ki kuch logon ko iss baat se takleef hui hai ki iss film ke ek scene mein, Guru Gobind Singh ke Dasam Granth se kuch lines bolte waqt maine cigarette smoke ki hai aur isse unko thes pahunchi hai. Main aapko yakeen dilata hoon yeh bilkul sahi nahi hai. (On behalf of Dhurandhar's entire family, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you for showering us with so much love. Recently, we've learned that some people have been hurt by the fact that in one scene of this film, while reciting lines from Guru Gobind Singh's Dasam Granth, I smoked a cigarette, and it pained them. I assure you, this is absolutely not right.)"
He continued, "Thodi galatfehmi hai. Mujhe pura yakeen hai, yeh scene se pehle, yeh line bolne se pehle Aditya Dhar ji ne-jo mujhse zyada dhyaan rakhte hain inn sab cheezon ka-mujhe bola tha ki yeh line bolne se pehle, usse bahut pehle aap cigarette bujha dijiyega. Aur na aapke mooh se dhuaan niklega, na hi screen pe kahin dhuaan hoga, nahi aapke haath mein cigarette hogi. Kyunki yeh humaare liye bahut hi pavitra aur paak hai. (There's a slight misunderstanding. I am absolutely certain that before this scene, before saying this line, Aditya Dhar ji—who pays more attention to all these things than I do—told me to put out the cigarette well before delivering this line. So, no smoke would come out of your mouth, nor would there be any smoke on screen, and you wouldn't have a cigarette in your hand. Because this is extremely sacred and pure for us.)"
"Toh maine bakayda cigarette bujha diya tha. Aur agar aap scene dekhenge, aapko dikhega nahi ki mere mooh se dhuaan nikal rahi hai, nahi frame mein kahin dhuaan hai, nahi woh scene end hone tak dhuaan ka naamo-nishaan kahin pe hai. Kyunki yeh humein pata hai, hum kisi ka dil dukhaana nahi chahte. Hum pure Sikh community ke saath hain. Aur hum unka bahut aadar karte hain. Main apne har film release ke pehle Golden Temple jaata hoon, yeh sabko pata hai. Humara yakeen maniye. ("So, I had properly extinguished the cigarette. And if you watch the scene, you won't see any smoke coming out of my mouth, nor is there smoke anywhere in the frame, nor is there any trace of smoke until the end of that scene. Because we know this—we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. We stand with the entire Sikh community. And we respect them a lot. I go to the Golden Temple before every film release of mine; everyone knows this. Please trust our belief"), added R Madhavan.
He concluded by saying that there was never an intention to hurt anyone. He repeated that it is possible he was holding a cigarette at the beginning of the scene-which he was-because his character smokes. But after that, there is no more of it throughout the scene.
FIR Against Dhurandhar 2
According to a report by Moneycontrol, a formal complaint was lodged at Mumbai's Mulund Police Station by Gurjeet Singh Kher, a Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader and president of the organisation Sikhs in Maharashtra.
He even put up an Instagram post and wrote, "I strongly condemn the blatant disrespect shown towards Gurbani by the makers of Dhurandhar 2. Portraying a character @actormaddy talking to @ranveersingh while smoking a cigarette and reciting sacred Gurbani 'Siraso pehchaniye jo Lade Deen ke Heth' is deeply hurtful and unacceptable."
The post continued, "Gurbani is not mere dialogue-it is divine, sacred, and holds immense spiritual significance for the Sikh community. Such irresponsible depiction reflects ignorance and a lack of sensitivity towards our faith."
"I urge the entire Sikh community to stand united and peacefully protest this insult. Show black flags to those responsible-Aditya Dhar, R Madhavan, and Ranveer Singh-wherever they appear, if they fail to issue a sincere apology to the SGPC and the Sikh community," concluded the post.
Furthermore, Gurjeet Singh Kher explained the importance of the Guru Gobind Singh verse used in the film. He said that it holds a lot of historical significance, as it was penned during a time of persecution under Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
He further demanded an apology from Aditya Dhar, R Madhavan, and Ranveer Singh, saying, "Apologise immediately, or history has shown what the Sikh community is capable of."
About Dhurandhar 2
The sequel to Dhurandhar follows the rise of Ranveer Singh's Hamza Ali Mazari as Sher-e-Baloch and the undisputed king of Lyari. It also traces his journey from becoming Jaskirat Singh Rangi to Hamza, the man who intrudes into Pakistan as a spy to avenge terrorist attacks in the nation.
The spy-action thriller also brings back the talented supporting cast, including Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi, Danish Pandor, and Sara Arjun.
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