Ajay Devgn’s ‘Chauhaan’ Draws Flak Over Name
Rajput clan sees ‘electoral or ideological purposes’
Ajay Devgn’s next action entertainer, Chauhaan, announced on June 25, has irked the Rajput Chauhan clan. Strongly condemning the makers’ attempt to “appropriate” the clan name for “contemporary communal politics,” the Kshatriya Parishad has come down heavily on the alleged “weaponisation of Rajput history and appropriation of Rajput identities.” The organisation described the film as motivated by “electoral or ideological purposes.”
In a statement shared on social media, the organisation called it “deeply unfortunate” that the Rajput identity was yet again “being dragged into a political narrative” which, the Parishad said, “Rajputs neither initiated nor sought.” The organisation added, “At a time when Rajput voices remain underrepresented in mainstream media and public discourse, invoking a Rajput clan name merely to provoke outrage, inflame caste and communal sentiments, or generate political spectacle is both irresponsible and disrespectful.”
The film, described as a gritty actioner, shows a masked Devgn in a bandana with a skull motif overseeing protesters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama as they line up against army guards. A pellet-gun sequence in the teaser has also drawn attention, with Devgn’s character referring to the impact of pellet guns as “limited damage.”
The actor unveiled the film as a tribute to his late father, stuntman Veeru Devgn, on his birth anniversary. As of now, neither Devgn nor the makers of Chauhaan have issued an official statement addressing the controversy.
