Siddharth Anand on 'Fighter': ‘The IAF gave us a No Objection Certificate before the release’

Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s film Fighter has had a topsy-turvy journey at the box-office ever since its release. And then, the film landed (no puns here) in a legal soup. A legal notice had been sent to the makers for a kissing scene between the leads while they are wearing the air-force uniform.

The notice was served by Indian Air Force, Wing Commander Saumya Deep Das, who says the uniform isn’t a mere piece of clothing, and has raised objections against the film. The notice said- ‘IAF uniform is not merely a piece of clothing, it is a powerful symbol of unwavering commitment to duty, national security and selfless services.’

Siddharth Anand on the legal notice

The director told Times of India, “ There are two points to it. One, this film is in complete conjunction with the IAF. IAF has been a co-collaborator on the film and has been a huge associate partner on our film. This film has gone through meticulous procedures with the IAF, right from the submission of the script, to the production planning, viewing the film before the censor saw it on the censor board, watching it again at the IAF, reviewing the film after the censor, and then giving us a physical copy of the NOC No Objection Certificate.”

He added, “We have checked with the concerned team, and they have informed us that no such person exists under the IAF. So we have no idea who is doing this. We are in a business where there will be social commentary. So, we are totally used to it.”

Hrithik Roshan reacts to criticism over Fighter’s dialogues

In a conversation with Film Companion, Hrithik while asserting that his audience does not need such dialogues to understand the motion of the film said, “I would like to believe that my fans and my audience are a bit more evolved and they don’t like lines like this.”

Noting that he does not believe in “crossing the line” and “interfering with the director’s vision”, the actor explained why he did not object to Siddharth Anand putting dialogues like India occupied Pakistan in the film. “He is a very head-strong filmmaker. It’s his conviction and when you see someone is convinced it kind of breaks your heart to say no which I don’t do. But I also bear the weight of that because it’s finally my face,” he concluded.