New Delhi: Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar Wednesday put out a tweet clarifying his film wasn’t based on the life of Army officer Major Mohit Sharma AC(P) SM. Earlier, the family of the slain officer had alleged that the film is based on their son’s life and was made without their consent or approval from the Army.
Major Sharma laid down his life battling militants in J&K in 2009. He was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award.
Less than 48 hours after Sharma’s parents approached the Delhi High Court, seeking protection of their son’s persona, Dhar put out the tweet categorically denying that his film was based on Sharma’s life.
Dhar wrote, “Our film Dhurandhar is not based on the life of braveheart Major Sharma AC(P) SM. This is an official clarification.”
He further assured that any future attempt to depict the officer’s story would be handled with utmost sensitivity and involvement of the family.
“I assure you, if we do make a biopic on Mohit sir in the future, we will do it with full consent and in complete consultation with the family, and in a way that truly honors his sacrifice for the nation and the legacy it has left for all of us,” the filmmaker added.
The censor board on 2 December gave a clean chit to the film. The family also wanted a private screening of the film before its release on 5 December.
The Delhi High Court on Monday, 1 December, had urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to consider the concerns raised by Major Sharma’s family before certifying the film.
On 2 December, Tuesday, CBFC issued a clean chit to Dhurandhar, saying that the film does not have any direct or indirect link to the life of Major Sharma. The board called Dhurandhar a “work of fiction.”
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Who is Major Mohit Sharma?
Major Sharma, hailing from Rohtak, was a Special Forces (SF) officer. He joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in 1995 and was commissioned in December 1999 in the 5th Battalion of The Madras Regiment.
After a stint in J&K in Rashtriya Rifles, Major Sharma joined 1 Parachute Battalion (Special Forces).
While working with this battalion, he earned the Sena Medal for gallantry. He is said to have successfully infiltrated a Hizbul Mujahideen group under cover in 2004.
In 2009, Major Sharma was deployed with a Special Forces unit in J&K’s Kupwara. During his posting in Kupwara, they learned about a camp of terrorists in Hafruda forest. Major Sharma camped in the forest with his team and during the encounter between the two sides, Major Sharma was injured.
It is said that despite being shot, Major Sharma shot down four terrorists by throwing grenades. But in the process he was grievously injured and lost his life.
For acts of bravery beyond the call of duty, Major Sharma was awarded the Ashok Chakra posthumously.
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Why the speculations?
Ranveer Singh’s character in the film infiltrates a terrorist network in Pakistan. On social media, the comparisons of Singh’s character to Major Sharma started after it was noted that the various other characters in the movie are also based on real-life persons.
For example, Sanjay Dutt is speculated to be playing Chaudhary Aslam Khan, an ‘encounter specialist’ of the Karachi police. Khan was killed in a bomb blast by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2014.
Akshaye Khanna’s character is also said to be based on Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch, a well-known criminal based out of Karachi’s Lyari locality who was killed in 2009.
Another character, portrayed by R Madhavan, allegedly has some resemblance to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a former intelligence officer.
What does the family say?
Major Sharma’s brother Madhur Sharma in an interview revealed that the film was being promoted in a way to give an illusion that it is based on his brother’s life.
The petition by Major Sharma’s family, which came up for hearing on 1 December before Justice Sachin Datta, also highlighted the same.
Their petition also claimed that the filmmaker has used their son’s life as a commercial commodity without the family’s permission or Army’s sanction.
“Ever since the film was announced, there is a lot of information on social media suggesting it is based on my brother. Reputed media channels and influencers with millions of followers have drawn correlations. We just want the producers to clarify and tell us the reality,” Madhur told a media portal.
He highlighted that the family is not opposed to a film on their son but they alleged that the same is being done without any consent, consultation or authorisation from the family.
The family, in their petition, said that the film violates the family’s privacy rights under Article 21 and raises national-security concerns. They claimed that the depiction of Special Forces tactics could reveal sensitive information.
Madhur said that the director’s response came only after the petition was submitted.
“There is a 36–48 hour difference between my tweet and Aditya Dhar’s reply. The petition was filed during that time,” he said, adding that the family isn’t seeking benefits.
“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. 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,” said Madhur.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)