New Delhi: Filmmaker Aditya Dhar has called images of Ranveer Singh’s character Jaskirat smoking while wearing a turban in Dhurandhar: The Revenge “completely untrue” after a Mumbai-based organisation, Sikhs in Maharashtra, filed an FIR for hurting the religious sentiments of the community.
Reacting to the allegations on Thursday, Dhar blamed Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the offending visuals, saying they don’t “form part of the film or any official material” released by the makers. The complaint was filed by ‘Sikhs in Maharashtra’ president Gurjyot Singh Keer in Mulund police station over a poster circulating online, which the organisation said undermined the sanctity of Sikh religious symbols. Keer is also a leader of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and this is the second complaint he has filed over smoking visuals related to Dhurandhar 2.
Dhar’s statement first thanked audiences for showing the film “overwhelming love” and then said it had come to his attention that “certain individuals are circulating manipulated visuals by morphing officially released promotional material using artificial intelligence to create false and misleading narratives.”
He also said that the intentions behind the images were not innocent.
“One such fabricated image falsely depicts the character Hamza/Jaskirat smoking while wearing a turban. This is completely untrue… It is a deliberate act of misrepresentation intended to provoke and create mischief,” he added.
🙏@RanveerOfficial @rampalarjun @duttsanjay @ActorMadhavan #AkshayeKhanna #SaraArjun @bolbedibol @AdityaDharFilms #JyotiDeshpande @LokeshDharB62 @jiostudios @B62Studios @TSeries @JioHotstar @StarGoldIndia pic.twitter.com/VMCS4ImdG4
— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) March 26, 2026
Dhar said that he holds the highest respect for the Sikh community, and every portrayal in the film has been handled with utmost sensitivity, dignity, and responsibility. He even warned of strict action against people creating false narratives.
“Any attempt to suggest otherwise through any doctored content is malicious and dishonest. I urge audiences to rely only on official content and watch the film as it is intended, and not fall prey to Al-generated misinformation being circulated with ulterior motives. Such acts will be dealt with firmly,” the official statement concluded.
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Not the first objection
Earlier this week, Gurjyot Singh Keer also filed a complaint over a scene where R Madhavan’s character, Ajay Sanyal, recites verses from the sacred Dasam Granth while smoking. This complaint named Dhar and Ranveer Singh as well.
Madhavan later shared an Instagram video calling it a “misunderstanding”, clarifying that the filmmaker ensured he wasn’t holding the cigarette while reciting the verses.
“Thodi galatfehmi hai,” (There’s a slight misunderstanding) Madhavan said in the message, speaking in Hindi. “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.”
Madhavan added that he had already put out the cigarette, which is why there is no visible smoke — neither from his mouth nor anywhere in the frame — for the rest of the scene.
“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,” he said.
Amid the controversies, Dhurandhar: The Revenge continues its box office rampage. The film has earned over Rs 1,000 crore worldwide within a week— the fastest any Indian film has achieved that milestone.
In terms of India net collections, Dhurandhar 2 is set to surpass Stree 2 and Chhavaa, which earned Rs 600 crore and Rs 601 crore respectively. Previously, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan earned Rs 640 crore in India. The highest earner on this list is Pushpa 2, which earned Rs 1,234 crore net in India and Rs 1,742 crore worldwide.
9edited by Asavari Singh)