New Delhi: Nicky Vicky Bhagnani Films and The Content Engineer have officially announced a new film titled Operation Sindoor, based on the ongoing military action against Pakistan. Just hours after paparazzo Viral Bhayani shared the news with an AI-generated poster on Instagram, director Uttam Jaju, an ad filmmaker from Surat, posted a story apologising for the “timing”.
“This project was born out of deep respect and love for our nation and not for fame or monetisation. However, I understand the timing and sensitivity may have caused discomfort or pain to some. For that, I deeply regret,” he wrote in a story shared on his Instagram page @aapkabestimain.
The film is set to be directed by Jaju and Nitin Kumar Gupta, who heads Neole Films.
Jaju, who has been busy obtaining letters from various ministers to endorse his latest book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, titled Kem Cho, is clear about the film’s vision.
“It will be a commercial film, and it is definitely not going to be propaganda,” he said, adding that they would also try to help soldiers’ families through the film’s proceeds.
The AI-generated poster for Operation Sindoor features a female soldier standing with her back to the viewer, dressed in uniform and holding a rifle, as she applies sindoor (vermillion). The background shows concertina wire, tanks, and large fireballs from explosions.
“This is our title announcement poster. We decided to put it out before someone [else] the moment we got our script formally registered,” said Jaju.
Rush to claim the name
As the operation was announced on 7 May, there was a rush to file trademark applications for its title. Reliance Industries too joined the race. But on Thursday afternoon, it issued a statement saying that Jio Studios, a unit of Reliance Industries, had withdrawn its application.
Jaju filed the application on 8 May. He requested registration under Class 41 to use the wordmark Operation Sindoor for entertainment purposes, along with a trademark for arranging “award ceremonies and gala evenings” for entertainment, as well as for major corporations and individuals “who have made significant charitable contributions.”
“We were already working on a script with a similar name about widows of army personnel. When the name of the operation was announced, we decided to make changes in the existing script and also register our script with the Screenwriters Association (SWA),” said Jaju.
‘Have some shame’
The announcement of the title poster for Jaju’s film prompted criticism on social media, with users accusing filmmakers of profiting from the country’s current escalation with Pakistan.
“Milking an ongoing war, with an AI generated poster. This is as dystopian as it gets,” wrote one user.
Another user condemned the monetisation of every opportunity:
“Shame on you and all of Bollywood for making everything a capitalist opportunity! Operation Sindoor has not even been completed and you’re out here trying to take advantage of the worrying situation. Praying for karma to teach you a good lesson,” read the strongly worded comment.
Meanwhile, Jaju claimed that several production houses had contacted him for collaboration and that A-list actors have expressed interest in being part of the movie. So far, only the music composer duo Rameez Sabri and Sohail Sabri have been finalised.
“We want to get our dialogues written by Manoj Muntashir, and we will also have our final version of the script by V Vijayendra Prasad,” said Jaju.