‘Irresponsible, disrespectful’: Teaser of film ‘Chauhaan’ criticised by Kshatriya group

A Kshatriya organisation on Monday objected to the teaser of the upcoming Hindi film Chauhaan, saying that it was “irresponsible and disrespectful” to use a Rajput clan name to inflame caste and communal sentiments.

The organisation, the Kshatriya Parishad, said it “rejects every attempt to weaponise Rajput history or appropriate Rajput identities for electoral or ideological purposes”.

The film Chauhaan, directed by Neeraj Yadav and starring Ajay Devgn, is slated for release on October 1, 2027. The teaser depicts scenes from a 2018 demonstration in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, with a voiceover by Devgn saying pellet guns and water cannons caused only “limited damage” and were merely “temporary solutions” against protesters who throw stones.

The voiceover adds that an “answer is on its way” for the protesters after 75 years, saying, “tell the Pathaans: Chauhaan is coming”.

The teaser sparked widespread criticism from Kashmiris on social media. Many questioned the description of pellet guns as causing only “limited damage”, noting that thousands were injured by such guns in Kashmir, especially between 2016 and 2019.

The Kshatriya Parishad on Monday said it was unfortunate that Rajput identity was “once again being dragged into a political narrative that Rajputs neither initiated nor sought”. It said that at a time when Rajput voices are underrepresented in mainstream media, it was...

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