Major Mohit Sharma's parents move Delhi HC to halt release of Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar: Report
The parents of Ashoka Chakra awardee late Major Mohit Sharma have filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking an urgent stay on the release of Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar, scheduled for December 5. They alleged that the film is directly inspired by Major Sharma’s life.
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh in a lead role, is slated for release on December 5. Before the release, Dhurandhar landed in legal trouble after the parents of Ashoka Chakra awardee late Major Mohit Sharma approached the Delhi High Court, requesting an urgent stay on the release of Dhurandhar.
In their petition, Major Sharma’s parents have claimed that the film "appears to be directly inspired" by their son’s life, persona, undercover operations, and martyrdom, which has been made without their consent, as per a Live Law report.
According to them, the trailer of Dhurandhar, character styling, military setting, and overall narrative "unmistakably mirror" the real-life missions and sacrifice of Major Mohit Sharma.
For those unversed, Major Sharma was killed in action during a counter-terrorism operation in Kupwara in 2009. His family argues that portraying his life without permission violates their right to privacy, dignity, reputation, and Major Sharma's posthumous personality rights under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
They further alleged that no permission or script approval was sought from the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), Indian Army.
The respondents named in the plea include the Union of India through the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Central Board of Film Certification, ADGPI, Indian Army; director and co-producer Aditya Dhar, Jio Studios, and producer Jyoti Deshpande.
Along with a stay on Dhurandhar's release, the petition asks for a private screening for the family before it is made open to the public on December 5.
The family has also sought a declaration that no film based on a real military martyr should be released without proper authorisation from the legal heirs and the Indian Army.
Dhurandhar also stars Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna and Sara Arjun in key roles.