Arjun Rampal has been earning praise for his portrayal of Major Iqbal, an ISI officer, in Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, also starring R Madhavan, Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi. Arjun has been in the news also for his recent comments during an awards show. For those not in the know, Rampal reflected on the success of ‘Dhurandhar’ and recalled his tragic experience of witnessing the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Arjun revealed that November 26 is also his birthday. He said at HELLO! Hall of Fame Awards, “On my birthday, I saw the horrors of 26/11 play out. In the morning, when I drove back home, I had to stop at least three times because I felt like I was going to be sick. When Aditya Dhar narrated the 26/11 sequence to me, I knew I was going to have my revenge, and that’s what I did with Dhurandhar. All I want to say is, Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”His closing line drew sharp criticism from Shobhaa De, who addressed it in her column for The Print, titled ‘Why Arjun Rampal saying ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ should worry Bollywood audiences.’ In her piece, she expressed concern over what she perceived as a changing ideological climate in the film industry.“The agenda is no longer hidden, it is brazenly out there. The narratives are being manipulated and rescripted to exclude all those who don’t subscribe to the ideology. Conversely, those who do are richly rewarded,” she wrote.She further added, “When stars start using platforms such as awards nights to display loyalty and demonstrate allegiance to filmmakers creating political myths for public consumption, it’s time for alert audiences to assert their rights and call out the manipulators.”

“Until then, perhaps movie awards will come with a caveat: Actors will be mandated to chorus ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai!’, glittering trophy victoriously held up to catch the spotlight.” The remarks quickly triggered reactions, with Arjun’s girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades hitting back in the comments section. She commented, “This is outrageous.” Many others also slammed De for this piece. A user said, “What’s the harm in saying “Bharat Mata ki Jai” thinking of being liberal and elite doesn’t mean we forget respecting nationalism.” Another one said, “She had earlier shown her support for Rampal and the film with a glowing Instagram post, writing, “Dhurandar day … saw it last night and have to say , it’s my favourite Hindi film of all time. @rampal72 patience, persistence and positivity, you’re always inspiring and always raising the bar . #adityadhar is a legend and @ranveersingh you’re a star . The casting is a masterpiece @castingchhabra each and every person in the film is epic.”Another person wrote, “What do you mean ‘over exaggerated Hindu Nationalist theme’ ? Since when did being a Nationalist become a bad thing?- I think your writing is itself exaggerated. Fire your author.” Someone said, “Wow. How does someone saying “Bharat Mata ki Jai” becomes problematic to you guys? This is literally nationalism, irrespective of any religious agenda. How does being patriotic to the country one resides in becomes a point of contention to a select few? This is seriously mind boggling.” A user said, “Since when has ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ become a threat to anyone or any community in our country? I am sure the khan’s @iamsrk @beingsalmankhan have always been and will always be the loudest to say ‘भारत माता की जय’” A person said, “Lol. Now you can’t say Bharatmata ki Jay in India. What a joke.”