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Makers of Sunny Deol’s Jaat issue apology, delete controversial scene from film post FIR

In a statement, the makers of Jaat expressed regret for hurting religious sentiments and confirmed that the controversial scene had been removed with immediate effect.

Jaat box office collection day 19: Sunny Deol's film earns Rs 85 crore.

Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda’s Jaat landed in controversy after a section of the Christian community raised objections to a scene in the film. On Friday, an FIR was filed against actors Sunny Deol, Randeep Hooda, Vineet Kumar Singh, and others for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. In response, the makers have issued an apology and removed the controversial scene from the movie.

Hours after the FIR, the makers of Jaat issued an statement which 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.”

The 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 apologize to everyone whose beliefs have been hurt.”

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What was the controversy about?

The controversy erupted after members of the Christian community alleged that Jaat features scenes that disrespect Jesus Christ and Christian religious practices. Complainant Viklav Goldy also claimed that a dialogue in the film may incite those who oppose Christianity to target churches.

The FIR filed at the Sadar Police Station was registered under Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Apart from the actors of the film, the FIR was also registered against the film’s director Gopichand Malineni and producer Neveen Melineni.

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Director Gopichand Malineni recently spoke to India Today about the controversy surrounding Jaat. He said, “On social media, everyone has their own phone and their own ideas. For example, I love Lord Balaji, but even when it comes to God, people have different opinions about whom they worship. Similarly, when people watch films, they have many different opinions – there are so many minds out there. Today, everyone has access to their own social media platforms, and they’re all sharing their thoughts. I don’t think much about that. You should follow what you feel, what you like, and where your focus is – just go with that flow.”

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Jaat, released on April 10, marked the return of Sunny Deol on the big screen after his blockbuster film Gadar 2 in 2023. The film has earned over Rs 65 crore at the Indian box office.

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