Dhurandhar in legal trouble: Late Major Mohit Sharma's family moves court, seeking stay on release

Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar is one of the biggest releases of the year, and a week ahead of its release, the movie has found itself in legal trouble.

Days after director Aditya Dhar clarified that the movie is not a biopic of Major Mohit Sharma on X, it has been reported that the family of the late soldier has knocked on the doors of the court, asking for a stay on its release.

Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar faces legal trouble

On Friday (Oct 28), the family of the late Major Mohit Sharma, an Ashoka Chakra awardee, has approached the Delhi High Court, asking to put a stay on the release of the movie that is set for Dec 5.

The petitioners have also urged the Court for a private screening of the film for Major Sharma's family before it is released.

In the petition filed, the movie has claimed that the movie appears to be directly inspired by the life of Major Mohit Sharma, his undercover activities, and they have made the movie without getting permission from the Indian Army or Major Sharma's family. The family has also raised concerns about national security in the petition.

As per Bar and Bench, the petition also states that the important aspects of Major Sharma's life and military service, including covert counter-terrorism operations in Kashmir, are mirrored in the movie's trailer and promotional materials.

The family has also mentioned that Dhurandhar has continuously been connected to the life of an army officer in media reports and online discussions, but the filmmakers have neither acknowledged this nor consulted them. They have also mentioned that the movie violates a martyr's posthumous personality rights under Article 21 of the Constitution, and also, unauthorised portrayal violates their right to privacy and dignity as well.

In the trailer release, it has been shown that an Indian senior officer is planning a secret mission against Pakistan, as we see Ranveer's character, presumably crossing borders as an undercover agent. The petition says that the movie that seems to depict military operations without any indication that the filmmakers obtained permission or screened the script from the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), the body that looks after how and in what manner the Indian Army is portrayed in the media.

The matter is likely to be listed for hearing next week.

Is Dhurandhar a fact or fiction? Here's what Aditya Dhar has said

Earlier, Major Mohit Sharma's brother had written a post on X, asking for clarification from director Aditya Dhar. Responding to the post, the Uri director said that the movie is not based on the life of Major Sharma.

Responding to the post, Dharr shared that his X post is an official clarification, saying, “Hi, sir - our film Dhurandhar is not based on the life of braveheart Major Mohit Sharma AC(P) SM. This is an official clarification. 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.” (sic)