Immortalising the Sino-Indian war of 1962, Excel Entertainment’s ‘120 Bahadur’ glorifies the heroes who valiantly fought to protect the honour of India. Headlined by Farhan Akhtar, the film found itself as a target of a plea urging a stay on its release and a change of name.
‘120 Bahadur’ aims to pay tribute to the 120 soldiers of the Kumaon regiment from the Battle of Rezang La. Based on the recent judgement from the Delhi High Court, the film will list each of the soldiers by name in the end credits.
Legal trouble for ‘120 Bahadur’
The Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha filed a petition with the Delhi High Court and alleged that the film distorts history. They claimed that the collective identity of the Ahir soldiers was being diminished by the overshadowing portrayal of Major Shaitan Singh, fictionalised as ‘Bhati’ in the Farhan Akhtar film. They also claimed that 113 out of the 114 fighters who attained martyrdom belonged to the Ahir (Yadav) community. The plea argued that ‘120 Bahadur’ violated Section 5B(1)-(2) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the CBFC’s 1991 Certification Guidelines.
Accusing the film of presenting a distorted view of history, the petitioners also cited Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which criminalises hurting the sentiments of the relatives of the deceased. The demands of the plea sought the withdrawal of the film’s CBFC certification and even advocated a stay on its release. They lobbied for a change in the name of the film from ‘120 Bahadur’ to ‘120 Vir Ahir’ to overtly honour the Ahir community soldiers who fought the daunting Indo-China war.
As a result, the Court clarified that since the film is scheduled for a November 21 release, it is too late to consider renaming it. Furthermore, the Division Bench of Justices Pratibha M Singh and Shail Jain disposed of the plea. The court noted that the film had already been approved by both the CBFC and the Defence Ministry, and said the petition was premature since it challenged only the trailer, not the full movie. The bench refused to step in, explaining that matters of creative freedom, legal compliance, and the film’s stage in the approval process did not warrant their intervention at this point.
Community reaction
The dispute also invited diverse opinions on social media. From protests to divided online reviews, audiences have showered praise on the war movie. Netizens opined that Farhan Akhtar has kept it ‘so so real’. Leaving audiences tear-eyed by the end, visuals from cinema halls showed a group of people proudly sporting ‘Yadav Boys’ on their clothes, displaying the Indian tricolour during the credit scene. Stunning audiences unexpectedly, 120 Bahadur has sent them home with goosebumps with the entire film fraternity, including Dhurandhar star Ranveer Singh, Hrithik Roshan, and Rekha, among others, praising Farhan Akhtar’s war film.