Mumbai: The Ranveer Singh starrer much-awaited spy-thriller ‘Dhurandhar’ released in theatres on Friday.
Even as the film opened to rave reviews, actor Rakesh Bedi, who plays Pakistani politician Jameel in the film, triggered a fresh controversy by claiming that the film might have been inspired by Late Major Mohit Sharma.
In an interview with ITV Blink, the veteran actor revealed that while ‘Dhurandhar’ is not based on any real person, it may be “inspired” by the story of Late Major Mohit Sharma.
“Every film has a mother film. Sholay’s mother film was Seven Samurai… or Five Man Army. Kahin na kahin se toh koi bhi film inspire hoti hai. Har cheez kahin na kahin se inspire hoti hai, lekin uska matlab yeh nahi ki uske upar bani hai yeh film (Every film draws inspiration from somewhere or the other, but it doesn’t mean the film has been made on that person),” Bedi explained, while talking about the controversy around the film’s inspiration.
He added, “I salute Mohit Sharma for what he did, but definitely… it may be inspired from there, but it’s not based on it. Lekin main iss baar meh bolne wala – meri authority nahi hai. But mereko itna pata hai ki har kahani kahin na kahin se inspired hoti hai. Ek achhi kahawat hai ki nothing is ‘new under the sun’. Kuch bhi naya nahin hai. (I have no authority to talk about it. But I know that every story draws inspiration from somewhere. There is a saying ‘nothing is new under the sun.’ Nothing is new.)”
The veteran further shared that the character he plays in the film is loosely inspired by a real-life Pakistani politician.
“In fact mera jo character hai ismein, woh bhi adjust karta hai Pakistan meh. Aur maine bhi usko Pakistan ke Senate meh, unke Parliament meh dekha hai — Nawaz Sharif ya Bhutto, koi speech de rahe hote hai toh yeh aadmi peeche baitha hua hota hai. Maine YouTube karke uske mannerisms padhe, kaafi minutely. Aur meri jo appearance hai, woh bhi uss se kuch milti julti hai. Par yeh nahi ki woh uske upar based hai — usse inspired ho sakta hai, (In fact, the character that I play in the film, also exists in Pakistan. I have also seen him in the Pakistani Senate, in their Parliament—Nawaz Sharif or maybe Bhutto…. Someone was delivering a speech and this person was sitting behind them. I have studied his mannerisms minutely by following YouTube videos. My appearance in the film is also somewhat similar to him. But my character is not based on him… it might be inspired from him),” he said.
Days ahead of the film’s release, internet started drawing comparisons between Ranveer’s character and Major Mohit Sharma.
Following the social media buzz, late Major’s parents filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking a ban on the film and its promotional activities, while stating that the filmmakers didn’t seek the consent of the family before making a film on their son’s life.
Represented by advocates Roopenshu Pratap Singh and Manish Sharmaa of Samaanta Law Firm, Major’s parents accused the filmmakers of using their son’s story as a “commercial commodity”.
Meanwhile, ‘Dhurandhar’ director Aditya Dhar maintained that the film is “purely fictional.”
Senior Advocate Saurabh Kirpal, representing the producers, dismissed the claims as “misconceived”.
While the court didn’t pass a stay order on the film, but it did direct the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) to consult the Indian Army before giving a clearance to the film.
Following the court’s order, late Major’s brother, Madhur, in a conversation with HTCity said, “There is no benefit the parents are looking for. We want people to take a sympathetic, empathetic perspective. This is not just for us but for every family that has lost a son (in military operations) We just want due diligence. If the film is based on him, just say, ‘Sorry ma’am, we didn’t inform you.’ If not, say the hype is untrue.”
Produced by B62 Productions and Jio Studios, ‘Dhurandhar’ also stars Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi in pivotal roles.
