The parents of Ashoka Chakra awardee Late Major Mohit Sharma have approached the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the release of the upcoming film Dhurandhar, alleging that the movie exploits the life and service of the decorated 1 Para (Special Forces) officer without their consent.
The writ petition, filed by 77-year-old Sushila Sharma and 75-year-old Rajendra Prasad Sharma, argues that the film, slated for release on December 5, is being presented as &ldquo;inspired by true events&rdquo; and widely associated with Major Sharma&rsquo;s undercover operations and martyrdom.&nbsp;
The plea states that the trailer, promotional interviews and media coverage &ldquo;unmistakably&rdquo; link the film&rsquo;s protagonist, played by Ranveer Singh, to the late officer, who was killed during a counter-terrorism operation in Kupwara on March 21, 2009.
Describing themselves as &ldquo;humble and grieving parents,&rdquo; the petitioners say they were &ldquo;deeply shaken&rdquo; to learn that the filmmakers had &ldquo;used, portrayed, fictionalised and commercially exploited&rdquo; their son&rsquo;s life &ldquo;without seeking, obtaining, or even attempting to obtain&rdquo; their consent.
&ldquo;The true legal test is not whether the respondents verbally deny such linkage, but whether a reasonable, ordinary viewer, upon viewing the trailer, promotional material, character design, military background, operational narrative, visual portrayal and storyline, would unmistakably identify the protagonist with the real-life decorated martyr,&rdquo; the plea states, filed through advocates Roopenshu Pratap Singh and Manish Sharmaa.
According to the petition, the case raises issues concerning Article 21, the right to dignity of the deceased, personality and biographical rights, and the duty of the government to prevent the unauthorised commercial use of a national hero&rsquo;s life. 
The respondents named include the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), director Aditya Dhar and Jio Studios president Jyoti Deshpande.
The petition seeks a writ of mandamus to halt the release, distribution or exhibition of the film until the family is shown the unedited version and their concerns are addressed. 
It further alleges that the depiction of Special Forces operations, insignia and counter-terror missions required mandatory verification and No-Objection Clearance from the Army&rsquo;s ADGPI, which the filmmakers allegedly did not obtain.
Given the sensitive nature of the military content, the family says they fear the respondents may have proceeded &ldquo;without securing the required approvals.&rdquo; 
The petition also expresses concerns over national security, stating that some of Major Sharma&rsquo;s missions &ldquo;remain classified in nature.&rdquo;
Arguing that the portrayal infringes on posthumous dignity and the family&rsquo;s right to reputation under Article 21, the plea cites multiple reports and social media discussions mapping characters in the film to real-world figures, including Major Sharma, Ajit Doval, Rehman Dakait, Ilyas Kashmiri and Karachi police officer Chaudhry Aslam Khan. 
The petition states that &ldquo;this consistent reel-to-real pattern leaves no doubt&rdquo; about the film&rsquo;s origins.
As interim relief, the family seeks a complete stay on the release, a private screening, submission of the film&rsquo;s script and raw footage to the court, and a temporary halt on all promotional activity.
&mdash;IANS

Parents challenge film portraying martyr without consent

Family seeks stay on ‘Dhurandhar’, alleging misuse of martyr Major Mohit’s life story

Major Mohit’s Family Moves HC Against Film

Family seeks stay on ‘Dhurandhar’, alleging misuse of martyr Major Mohit’s life story

November 28, 2025 | 16:00 IST