Delhi HC clears Farhan Akhtar’s ‘120 Bahadur’ for release despite petition

WEB DESK: The Delhi High Court has cleared the release of 120 Bahadur, rejecting a petition that sought to block Farhan Akhtar’s upcoming war drama just days before its nationwide premiere. The film, which portrays the 1962 Battle of Rezang La, will now hit theatres on November 21 as originally scheduled.

The petition, filed by the Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha along with relatives of soldiers who fought in the battle, challenged the Central Board of Film Certification’s approval. The applicants argued that the movie distorts historical facts, overemphasising Major Shaitan Singh’s role while sidelining the 120 soldiers who fought alongside him. They also demanded that the title be changed.

During the hearing, a bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Shail Jain observed that altering the film’s title or editing it so close to release was impractical. The court noted that the filmmakers had already acknowledged the soldiers by name in the film’s end credits. The petitioners eventually agreed that if the names appeared properly in the film, the title need not be changed.

While permitting the theatrical release to go ahead, the court added an important caveat: if any omissions or inaccuracies regarding the soldiers’ regiments are later identified, they must be corrected in the film’s OTT version. The bench emphasised that the streaming release should also feature the complete list of soldiers, accurately represented.

Directed by Rajnees ‘Razy’ Ghai and headlined by Farhan Akhtar as Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, 120 Bahadur dramatises the courage displayed during one of the most celebrated battles of the 1962 war, spotlighting the heroism that earned Singh the Param Vir Chakra.