Filmmaker Aditya Dhar has issued a strong warning against individuals circulating AI-generated and other manipulated visuals of his film ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, starring Ranveer Singh in the lead.In a statement on his official handle and shared by the cast on their respective Instagram stories, Dhar raised concern over ‘misleading content’ being circulated online.
Aditya Dhar thanks fans as ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ hits Rs 1000 crore mark
The post, shared on Thursday, coincided with the film hitting the Rs 1,000 crore mark at the worldwide box office. With this, the film hit the mark in a record time of just 7 days. Expressing his gratitude for the film’s box office success, he wrote, “I am deeply grateful & indebted for the overwhelming love that Dhurandhar The Revenge has received from audiences across the country and the world.”
Aditya Dhar slams misleading AI-generated images
Moving on to address those spreading misleading posts about his film, he added, “However, it has come to my attention that certain individuals are circulating manipulated visuals, by morphing officially released promotional material using artificial intelligence to create false and misleading narratives.”
Aditya Dhar threatens action against people spreading fabricated images
Calling out a recent incident that landed the film in a legal soup over an AI-generated image of leading man Ranveer Singh, the director added, “One such fabricated image falsely depicts the character Hamza/Jaskirat smoking while wearing a turban. This is completely untrue and does not form part of the film or any official material released by us. It is a deliberate act of misrepresentation intended to provoke and create mischief.““Let me state this unequivocally: I hold the highest respect for the Sikh community, and every portrayal in the film has been handled with utmost sensitivity, dignity, and responsibility. Any attempt to suggest otherwise through any doctored content is malicious and dishonest.”
Aditya Dhar urges fans to verify facts
Urging viewers to verify information only through official film handles, he added, “I urge audiences to rely only on official content and watch the film as it is intended, and not fall prey to AI-generated misinformation being circulated with ulterior motives.”He concluded his note with a warning, “Such acts will be dealt with firmly.”
R Madhavan reacts to allegations about smoking scene in film
The post comes hours after R Madhavan issued a clarification over a scene in ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ where his character is allegedly shown smoking a cigarette while reciting a verse from Sikh religious text ‘Dasam Granth’.Madhavan issued a clarification through a video message posted on Instagram. In the clip, he says, “On behalf of ‘Dhurandhar’ family, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you for showering us with so much love. Recently, we’ve learned that some people have been hurt by the fact that in one scene of this film, while reciting lines from Guru Gobind Singh’s Dasam Granth, I smoked a cigarette, and it pained them. I assure you, this is absolutely not right.” He went on to add, “I am absolutely certain that before this scene, before saying this line, Aditya Dhar, who pays more attention to all these things than I do, told me to put out the cigarette well before delivering this line. So, I had properly put out the cigarette. And if you watch the scene, you won’t see any smoke coming out of my mouth, nor is there smoke anywhere in the frame, nor is there any trace of smoke until the end of that scene.“
About the controversy
The controversy began after Gurjyot Singh Keer, president of the Sikhs in Maharashtra, accused the film’s team, including director Aditya Dhar, lead star Ranveer Singh and Madhavan, of disrespecting Gurbani and hurting sentiments of the Sikh community.He alleged that the sequence in the movie depicts Madhavan’s character Ajay Sanyal smoking a cigarette while reciting a sacred verse -‘Sura so Pehchaniye Jo lade Deen ke Heth’ – from the Dasam Granth Sahib, authored by Guru Gobind Singh.“I strongly condemn the blatant disrespect shown towards Gurbani by the makers of Dhurandhar 2. Gurbani is not mere dialogue – it is divine, sacred, and holds immense spiritual significance for the Sikh community. Such irresponsible depiction reflects ignorance and a lack of sensitivity towards our faith,” Keer said in a statement.He urged the entire Sikh community to stand united and peacefully protest the depiction, and called for showing black flags to Dhar, Madhavan and Ranveer Singh wherever they appear, if they fail to issue a sincere apology to the SGPC and the Sikh community.Reviously, a still of Ranveer smoking while wearing a turban also created a stir online. However, it was later verified as an AI image.
