Kabir Khan Defended ‘Jai Shri Ram’ Scene in Bajrangi Bhaijaan Despite Controversy

Kabir Khan Defended ‘Jai Shri Ram’ Scene in Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Kabir Khan has spoken about the battle he had to fight behind the scenes of one of his biggest hits, Bajrangi Bhaijaan. At the eighth edition of The Indian Express’ Expresso, the director revealed that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had asked him to remove a scene where Om Puri’s character says “Jai Shri Ram” – but he refused.

Kabir believes audiences are more open-minded than the “gatekeepers” who anticipate backlash before it happens. “If the film still gets love, then it means that somewhere it hit home," he said. “I feel it’s the gatekeepers who sometimes draw these limits."

The scene in question comes towards the end of the film, which is about Salman Khan’s character, an Indian Hindu man on a journey to reunite a lost Muslim girl with her family in Pakistan. In the scene, set in Pakistan, Om Puri’s character waves goodbye to Bajrangi, notices his hesitation in saying “Khuda Hafiz” and asks, “Aap logo mein kya kehte hain? Jai Shri Ram na?” Without a pause, he then says, “Jai Shri Ram.”

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According to Kabir, the CBFC wanted to remove the line because they thought it would upset Muslim viewers. “I asked why and they said that Muslims won’t like it," he recalled. “I said ‘Sir, what’s my name? I don’t mind it at all."

For him, his upbringing shaped how he saw the moment.“I have grown up in a Delhi where ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was not a political salutation. Everybody used it and I have been in Old Delhi where ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was like saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’," he said. For him, the line was about shared humanity, not division.

Kabir fought back against the board’s concerns and insisted the scene remain as it was written and shot. “I fought for it. I stuck to it."

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The reaction from the audience proved him right. He recalls attending a screening on Eid’s opening day where the theatre was full of “blue collar Muslim workers”. Far from being offended, they clapped for the scene.

“I get gooseflesh thinking of it now… the censors thought they will not like it. People loved that, people loved whatever we were showing in that film, the politics behind it," he said. For him, the moment was proof that kindness and understanding transcend religious and political boundaries.

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