Actor Vivek Sinha faced a wave of online attacks after portraying hijacker Zahoor Mistry in the film Dhurandhar. His performance as the 1999 IC814 Kandahar hijacker was so convincing that many viewers directed their anger at him personally.
The backlash intensified after the trailer of Dhurandhar 2 was released. Sinha then took to Instagram to address the public directly, sharing his thoughts through a recorded video.
He also posted on Instagram, writing, “My name is Vivek Sinha (and) I am not a terrorist,” referencing the Shah Rukh Khan film My Name Is Khan (2010).
What triggered the anger?
The film features a provocative dialogue by Zahoor Mistry - “Hindu bahut hee darpok qaum hai. Pados mein hee rehte hain hum, goode bhar ka zor laga lo aur bigaad lo jo bigaad sakte ho”- which stirred strong reactions in theatres.
R Madhavan plays IB Director Ajay Sanyal in the film, and audiences responded intensely to the confrontation between the two characters.
What was in the video?
Vivek Sinha posted a video on Instagram addressing the flood of angry comments. He said, “Bhai, itna gussa, itne saare comments. Pata hai har comment mein kya ho raha hai? ‘Teri shaql humein aatankwadi jaisi lag rahi hai’, ‘Mann kar raha hai ki screen ke andar ghuske maarte hain’, ‘Tune humein gussa dila diya’... Ek baat boloon? Itna achha laga na mujhe ye jo deshbhakti hai na hamare andar, sa’ isko. Ek keh raha hai, ‘Tujhe Pakistan mein ghuskar maaroonga’.”
He then clarified his identity, saying, “Bhai main Pakistan ka nahin hoon, main Bijnor ka rehne wala hoon. Dhampur mera shehar hai, aur main Mumbai mein rehta hoon. Ek keh rahi hain, ‘Sir mera mann kar raha hai aapko do-chaar gaali de doon, aapne itna achha kaam kiya hai’. Aap gaali bhi de do, itna pyaar mil raha hai, thank you so much.”
About Dhurandhar 2
Dhurandhar 2, directed by Aditya Dhar, features Ranveer Singh returning as an Indian spy in Pakistan. The film also stars R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Danish Pandor, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun.
The first film was a massive success, earning ₹1300 crore worldwide and becoming the second-highest-grossing Bollywood film ever. The sequel has already collected ₹130 crore in advance bookings. Paid previews begin on March 18, with a worldwide release scheduled for March 19.
