The teaser of “Chauhaan” was quietly edited a week after Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub caused a backlash, with his voiceover now changed. That’s not the only tweak, the version currently on YouTube also brings a second change. In total, eight days after the teaser for Ajay Devgn‘s upcoming action film went online for the first time, its makers made two silent edits, one of which removed Ayyub’s voice from the opening monologue.
What exactly has changed in the teaser
The teaser, which is a little over two minutes long, originally opened with Ayyub’s voice delivering the first line before the rest of the voiceover was shifted to Devgn. Checking the video on YouTube now, however, reveals a different voice narrating that opening line. Along with the voice change, the word “Major” in dialogue has also been changed to “Colonel”.
Backlash against ‘pellet guns’ and representation of Kashmir
Since the release of the teaser, both Devgn and the production banners behind ‘Chauhaan’, Jio Studios and Aanand L Rai‘s Color Yellow Productions, have faced criticism for its references to “pellet guns” and its depiction of Kashmiri residents confronting the armed forces. Ayyub, an actor renowned for consistently supporting sensitive and thoughtful narratives, has not been spared either, with many taking issue with his voice in the teaser, calling it “insensitive and divisive”.
The manufacturers are keeping quiet about the editions
The backlash has come from multiple directions, everyday Hindi film watchers, political activists and prominent Kashmiri voices. But neither does Devgn, director Neeraj Yadavwhich is produced by Jyoti Deshpande of Jio Studios, Rai and Himanshu Sharma of Color Yellow Productions have addressed both editions publicly. When approached for comment at Noon, the producers chose not to respond.