Bollywood film Chauhaan’s portrayal of pellet-hit victims in Kashmir raises anxiety

The trailer of Chauhaan, Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn’s upcoming film, has drawn sharp reactions from local residents as well as regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir for its representation of pellet-hit victims.

The trailer shows a young man hit in the eye by bullets during the protests. Mr. Devgn’s voiceover describes it as “limited damage”.

From 2010 to 2016, over 10,000 locals were hit by pellets in Kashmir. A peak of 6,000 local residents, including protesters, was hit by pellets in 2016, during four months of street protests from July to October that year, according to official figures. At least 782 were hit in the eyes, and many lost sight in both eyes or one eye, the data show.

Ruling National Conference (NC) spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar called the film’s trailer a “compilation of propaganda”.

“It has put Goebbelsian propaganda to shame. It is full of content that can incite violence in Kashmir. Mocking the children and youth who have lost their sight, some even their lives, and exposing the old scars of their families is nothing but a malicious agenda against Kashmir,” Mr. Dar said.

An NC spokesperson urged the producers to “withdraw the teaser”. “Down with people who glorify violence. Mr. Devgn, you are a disgrace,” said Mr. Dar.

Wajahat Farooq Bhat, who heads the non-profit organization Save Youth Save Future, which works with victims of militancy in Kashmir, asked filmmakers “to stop glorifying violence through fictional ‘alpha male’ heroes and endless gunfights.”

“For decades we buried our loved ones, lived through bomb blasts, shootings, curfews, fear and insecurity. There was nothing glamorous, heroic or fun about that reality. It destroyed families, stole childhoods and held an entire generation hostage. Kashmir today is struggling to move forward,” Mr Bhat said.

Filmmakers should “stop reducing Kashmir to an eternal battlefield and its people as props in stories of violence”, he said. “Stop recycling the same stories simply because conflict sells. We are tired of others profiting from our suffering and ignoring our progress. If you really want to tell the story of Kashmir, tell a story of resilience instead of anger, of rebuilding instead of destruction, of aspirations instead of ammunition, of ordinary people reclaiming their lives after decades of pain,” Mr Bhat said.

Many netizens called the trailer “trivializing” and “deeply insensitive” to those who experienced the devastating effects of metal-ball shotguns used by security forces for crowd control. Sahil Parray, a social activist, expressed concern over the “vilification of Kashmiris”. “Would laughing at a granule victim sell tickets? How much more hate (Bollywood) are you going to spread?” said Mr. Parray.

The trailer was psychologically disturbing for the pellet victims, who are still dealing with the trauma of losing their sight completely or partially in Kashmir in 2016. “The trailer was moving the entire scene when I was hit. The mere memory is giving us sleepless nights,” said a pellet victim on condition of anonymity.

According to an official research paper on the psychological cost of pellet victims in Kashmir, patients who sustained eye injuries had significantly higher psychiatric morbidity. Among those with an eye injury, depression was the most common psychiatric disorder (30.38%), followed by adjustment disorder (16.92%), panic disorder (13.08%), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (10.77%) with generalized anxiety disorder.

Published – 27 Jun 2026 22:12 IST