The recently released Bollywood film Jaat, starring Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda, has sparked controversy for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. On Friday, a case was registered against the lead actors, along with the director and producer, following the film’s release on April 10. The case was filed under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Jalandhar’s Sadar police station.
The complaint alleges that a particular scene in Jaat resembled the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and offended the sentiments of the Christian community. The scene reportedly depicted actor Randeep Hooda standing inside a church beneath a crucifix placed above the sacred pulpit, with references to violence within the church.
Makers issue apology and remove the scene
In response to the backlash, the makers of Jaat issued an official statement and confirmed that the controversial scene has been removed. The statement read, “To Whomsoever It May Concern, There has been a backlash for a specific scene in the film. The scene has been removed from the film with immediate effect. Our intention was not to hurt any religious sentiments. We deeply regret it and have taken a quick action of deleting the scene from the film. We sincerely apologize to everyone whose beliefs have been hurt.”
Planned protests halted after police intervention
Before the scene’s removal, members of the Christian community had reportedly planned to protest outside cinemas screening the film. However, police intervention helped defuse the situation, and an ultimatum of 48 hours was given, warning of protests if no action was taken. The filmmakers’ prompt decision to edit the film helped prevent further unrest.
Sunny Deol, who stars in the film and is a former Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur, found himself at the center of the controversy due to his public profile. The issue has since gained traction both on social media and in political circles, although no formal comment has yet been made by Sunny Deol or Randeep Hooda.