The director stated, “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 went on to state that only after all that, the film received a censor certificate. “Then, we showed the entire film to everyone in the Air Force, including the Air Force Chief, Mr. Chaudhary, and over 100 Air Marshals from across the country. We called them and hosted a screening for them one day before the film’s release in Delhi, and they gave us a standing ovation,” he continued.

For those unfamiliar with the case, Wing Commander Saumya Deep Das, an officer of the Indian Air Force, submitted a legal notice. The notice raised concerns about the film normalizing inappropriate conduct in uniform, specifically highlighting a kissing scene featuring the lead actors in uniform on a runway.

‘Fighter,’ helmed by Siddharth Anand, who has worked with Deepika on ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ and ‘Pathaan,’ and has collaborated with Hrithik on ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘War,’ saw the the two superstars share screen space for the first time ever. The movie also stars Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi in pivotal roles. The film released on January 25, and has been relatively doing well at the box office.