A week after Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub sparked backlash, the trailer of ‘Chauhaan’ was quietly edited and now his voiceover has been replaced. That’s not the only tweak, the version currently on YouTube also has a second change. All told, eight days after the trailer was released Ajay DevganWhen the upcoming action film first hit theaters, the makers made two silent edits, including one that removed Ayub’s voice from the opening monologue.
What exactly happened in the trailer?
The trailer, which is a little over two minutes long, initially begins with Ayub’s voice for the first words, before the rest of the voiceover shifts to Devgn. However, viewing the video now on YouTube reveals that the narrator of the opening scene has a different voice. As the voice changes, the word “major” in the dialogue is replaced with “colonel”.
Backlash over depictions of ‘bullet guns’ and Kashmir
Since the trailer was released, Devgn and the production team behind Chauhaan, Jio Studios and Anand RaiColor Yellow Productions has been criticized for its references to “pellet guns” and its depiction of Kashmir residents confronting armed forces. Ayub, an actor known for his consistent support of sensitive, thoughtful narratives, was not immune to the fact that many took issue with the trailer he sent out, calling it “insensitive and divisive.”
Producers remain silent on editors
The backlash came from multiple quarters, including daily Hindi movie viewers, political activists and prominent personalities from Kashmir. But neither director Devgn Neeraj Yadavand Jyoti Deshpande, producers at Jio Studios, Rai and Himanshu Sharma Members of Color Yellow Productions have publicly discussed both editorial issues. When Noon contacted the producers for comment, they chose not to respond.
