The makers of Jaat, starring Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda in the lead roles, have issued an official statement announcing the removal of a controversial scene from the film following backlash from the Christian community. The film, which released on April 10, came under fire for a particular scene that was deemed offensive and disrespectful to Christian sentiments.
The makers also issued an apology. "There has been a backlash for a specific scene in the film. The scene has been removed from the film with immediate effect," they said.
Their statement further read, "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 apologise to everyone whose beliefs have been hurt."
What is the controversy?
In the now-deleted scene, Randeep's character was shown standing inside a church, directly beneath the crucifix, while people prayed.
The community alleged that the sequence portrayed "acts of intimidation and hooliganism," which they claimed showed Jesus Christ in a disrespectful light.
FIR against Sunny, Randeep
Following the outrage, several members of the Christian community demanded a ban on the film and filed an FIR with the Jalandhar police.
The FIR named Sunny and Randeep, director Gopichand Malineni, and the producers of the film. It has been registered under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with actions intended to cause harm.
Jaat, touted as a high-octane action drama, marked the collaboration of Sunny and Randeep and has been in the news since its release, for its powerful performances.
Directed by Gopichand Malineni, Jaat also stars Vineet Kumar Singh, Saiyami Kher, Regina Cassandra, Ayesha Khan, Urvashi Rautela and others in key roles.
