Gopichand Malineni; Randeep Hooda, Sunny Deol and Vineet Kumar Singh at the trailer launch of their upcoming film ‘Jaat’ in March
| Photo Credit: @dongopichand/Instagram and PTI
Bollywood star Sunny Deol’s latest blockbuster Jaathas been at the centre of a controversy for over a week now. On Friday, an FIR was lodged against Deol, Randeep Hooda and three others from the film, stating that a scene in the film had “hurt sentiments” of the Christian community. Folllowing the same, the makers even removed the scene from the film.
Now, the director of the film, Gopichand Malineni, has opened up on the controversy. In a recent interview with Mid-Day, Gopichand said, “The censor board didn’t mention anything for the trailer cut, but later told us to blur the background in the film print. It was done even before people objected. If a film has to be a blockbuster, it has to be watched by as many people as possible. No filmmaker wants to hurt any people or community. We want to entertain them.”
Earlier, the makers of the film issued a statement after removing the scene from the film. “Our intention was not to hurt any religious sentiments. We deeply regret it and have taken quick action of deleting the scene from the film. We sincerely apologise to everyone whose beliefs have been hurt,” it read.
For the unversed, the film features a scene in which the film’s antagonist, played by Hooda, can be seen engaging in violence inside a church while people pray in the background; later, he even intimidates the people inside the church. In the complaint he filed, Viklav Gold, a Christian community leader, alleged that the scene disrespects Jesus Christ and Christian religious practices.
Jaat revolves around an Andhra Village plagued by injustice and brutality. One day, an outsider, who calls himself Jaat, discovers the sorry state of affairs and decides to take on the system. The movie also stars Vineet Kumar Singh, Regina Cassandra and Saiyami Kher in prominent roles.
The Hindu, in its review of the film, said, “The violence is explicit, where severed heads are captured like money shots, and crimes against children, young women, and the old are used to manipulate the audience. If you can leave the discerning palate behind, this mass feast is for you to savour.”
Jaat is produced by Mythri Movie Makers and People Media Factory in association with Zee Studios. The film raked up close to ₹60 crore in its first week in India. Recently, the makers announced a sequel to the movie.
Published – April 21, 2025 11:50 am IST