Mumbai: Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh as the enigmatic spy Hamza Ali Mazari, has set the box office ablaze, crossing Rs 400 crore in just 12 days. Yet, a controversy swirls around its inspiration, with many linking Singh’s character to Major Mohit Sharma, an Ashoka Chakra awardee who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir in 2009.
Major Sharma, a 1 Para Special Forces hero, infiltrated Hizbul Mujahideen as Iftikhar Bhatt, earning a Sena Medal for his covert operations.
The film’s gritty tale follows Hamza, revealed as Jaskirat Singh Rangi, a death-row prisoner recruited for a fictional Operation Dhurandhar’ to dismantle a terror network in Pakistan’s Lyari underworld. Major Sharma’s family alleges the story mirrors his life without consent, prompting a Delhi High Court plea. Director Aditya Dhar and the Censor Board, however, insist the film is pure fiction, inspired loosely by operations like Pakistan’s Operation Lyari, not Sharma’s missions.
Fans have fuelled speculation by noting parallels between Hamza’s undercover tactics and Sharma’s disguise mastery. Social media buzz also ties Dhurandhar to Uri: The Surgical Strike via shared references to Jaskirat Singh Rangi, hinting at a cinematic universe.
While Dhar promises a future biopic on Sharma with family consent, the debate underscores the fine line between inspiration and appropriation. Major Sharma’s legacy serves as a moving reminder of true heroism even as Dhurandhar enthrals audiences.