Hours after announcing film on Operation Sindoor, makers issue apology: 'The timing and sensitivity may have...'

The announcement of a film based on Operation Sindoor, India’s recent military strikes in Pakistan, has sparked a major controversy and backlash, prompting the makers to issue an apology. The film, titled Operation Sindoor, was announced on Friday night with directors Uttam Maheshwari and Nitin Kumar Gupta and producers Nicky Vicky Bhagnani Films and The Content Engineer. The makers also shared a poster which featured a woman soldier wearing combat gear and holding a weapon. She is seen applying sindoor, the red vermillion worn by married Hindu women, to her hair parting. The scene is set in a battlefield with explosions, barbed wire, military tanks, and fighter jets.

But, hours after announcing the film, director Uttam Maheshwari and producer Nickky Bhagnani took to their Instagram Stories and issued an apology. Their statement read, "My sincere apologies for recently announcing a film based on Operation Sindoor, inspired by the recent heroic efforts of our Indian Armed Forces. The intent was never to hurt or provoke anyone's sentiments. As a filmmaker, I was moved by the courage, sacrifice, and strength of our soldiers and leadership, and simply wished to bring this powerful story to light. This project was born out of deep respect and love for our nation and not for fame and monetisation."

"However, I understand the timing and sensitivity may have caused discomfort or pain to some. For that, I deeply regret. This is not just a film, it's an emotion of the entire nation and a social image of the country globally. Thanks to our Armed Forces and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji who make us proud by working day and night for the country with the motto of Always Nation First. Our love and prayers will always be with the families of the martyrs as well as the brave warriors who are fighting on the border day and night to give us a new morning. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat", they concluded.

India carried out the targeted strikes on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early Wednesday under Operation Sindoor, two weeks after the massacre of 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Since the military strikes, Bollywood filmmakers and actors are scrambling to secure film titles inspired by the event. 

Within just two days, over 30 title applications, including names like Operation Sindoor, Mission Sindoor and Sindoor: The Revenge, were submitted to industry bodies Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA), Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) and Western India Film Producers' Association (WIFPA).

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