Randeep Hooda’s Jaat Sparks Outrage: Punjabi-Christian Community Protests Church Scene

Each time a new film releases, there's going to be some backlash — but this time, it's not the usual culprits. Sunny Deol's new film Jaat has created controversy, and it's the Punjabi-Christian community that's at the forefront of the backlash. The fire starter? A contentious scene with Randeep Hooda.

The contentious scene in Jaat has Randeep Hooda playing the film's villain, Ranatunga, standing at the front of a church, directly under a crucifix. His arms are open in a crucifixion stance that eerily resembles Jesus Christ's crucifixion — an image that, while surely staged, somehow still feels symbolic and intentional. Dazed villagers or devotees gather around him in terror, refusing to look at him as they stand beneath his gaze, the implication of this being some twisted power struggle with Ranatunga perceiving himself not only as a ruler, but also a godly character in Chirala village. The action gets out of hand with flashes of pandemonium: broken glass, bloodstains during a time of prayer, and blatant acts of intimidation within the sanctified space.

The scene has not been well-received by the Punjabi-Christian community, with them condemning the scene as extremely disrespectful and offensive, particularly in that it happens within a church. They hold that the presentation mixes violence and religious imagery to the point that it ridicules their religion. Some Punjabi-Christian members were also recorded chanting slogans such as "Randeep Hooda Murdabad." Although the community had planned demos outside theatres showing Jaat initially, police interference brought demos on ground to a halt. Community leaders instead filed a memorandum to the Joint Commissioner, asking for: The film's ban from theatrical release, prosecution of the film's cast and crew for supposedly offending religious sentiments and a 48-hour ultimatum to respond, or else they would reinstate public demonstrations.