Ajay Devgn’s upcoming action drama Chauhaan has found itself at the centre of a controversy soon after its first look and teaser were unveiled. According to a report by The Telegraph, the promotional video has sparked a strong political and social backlash in Jammu and Kashmir over its depiction of pellet guns and crowd control during street protests.
Apparently, the teaser features a sequence explaining the use of tear gas, water cannons and pellet guns to disperse stone-pelting crowds, describing pellet guns as causing “limited damage.” The teaser also ends with Ajay Devgn’s voiceover saying, “Pathaanon se kehna… Chauhaan aa raha hai,” a dialogue that has also generated discussion across social media.
According to The Telegraph, leaders from the ruling National Conference have condemned the teaser, accusing the makers of insensitivity towards victims of pellet gun violence in Kashmir. The publication reported that National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar described the teaser as “insensitive propaganda” and urged the filmmakers to withdraw it, arguing that it trivialises the trauma experienced by those who suffered life-altering eye injuries during years of unrest in the Valley.
The Telegraph further reported that activists and civil society groups have echoed similar concerns, with critics alleging that the teaser reduces a painful chapter of Kashmir’s history to a cinematic narrative. The report also states that several social media users have demanded that the producers take down the teaser, accusing it of mocking the suffering of real-life victims.
The backlash stems from the history of pellet gun use in Jammu and Kashmir. As noted by The Telegraph, pellet-firing shotguns were introduced as a crowd-control measure in 2010 and came under intense scrutiny during the 2016 unrest following the killing of militant Burhan Wani. The publication notes that hundreds of civilians suffered severe eye injuries during that period, with many losing partial or complete vision, making the issue one of the region’s most sensitive human rights concerns.
The teaser has also fuelled wider online conversations. Separately, The Times of India reported that the closing dialogue mentioning “Pathaan” prompted speculation among social media users, with some interpreting it as a possible reference to Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster Pathaan. However, there is no official confirmation that the dialogue was intended as a reference to the film or the actor.
As of June 29, neither Ajay Devgn nor the makers of Chauhaan have issued an official statement addressing the controversy. While the film was expected to generate excitement as one of Devgn’s major action releases, the teaser has instead opened a wider debate over the portrayal of politically sensitive real-life events in mainstream cinema, with the conversation now extending well beyond the film’s action-packed first glimpse.