The Delhi high court on December 1 asked the Central Board of Film Certification to examine the objections of the parents of Major Mohit Sharma (on right in picture), who was killed during a counter-terrorism operation in Jammu & Kashmir in 2009, with regard to the release of Dhurandhar. The film is slated for release on 5th December. Major Sharma, who died at the age of 31, was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra.
Justice Sachin Datta disposed of the petition by directing the CBFC to consider all the aspects of the matter, including the concerns of the petitioner, before granting the film certification . “If the CBFC considers it relevant to refer the matter to the Indian Army for necessary approvals, they should do that too,” said the judge,adding, “Let the exercise be completed by CBFC as expeditiously as possible.”
Major Mohit Sharma’s parents have sought a stay on the film’s release, claiming that it appeared to be directly inspired by the life of the decorated officer and was made without consent of the family or the Army.
The CBFC’s counsel argued in court that it is yet to grant certification to the film and that the producer clarified that the film was not a biopic. The counsel for the producers, too, claimed that the film was not a biopic or based on Sharma’s life, but was rather a work of fiction.
