A recent awards ceremony turned unexpectedly controversial after popular comedian Zakir Khan took a humorous dig at Bollywood while referencing the iconic film Dhurandhar. What began as a light-hearted joke quickly escalated into a heated debate, with prominent film personalities like Siddharth Anand and Ameesha Patel publicly calling out the comedian. During his performance, Zakir Khan joked that although the bombs in Dhurandhar exploded in Lyari, the smoke spread all the way from Bandra to Juhu, two hubs closely associated with Bollywood celebrities.
Zakir Khan
Zakir Khan Jokes At Dhurandhar
He further quipped that no matter how much the industry praised the film publicly, its impact had clearly stung many. While the audience at the event largely responded with laughter, the remark didn’t sit well with several members of the film fraternity. Taking to social media platform X, Ameesha Patel shared a photo of Zakir Khan from the event and urged him to stop spreading negativity.
Zakir Khan
She emphasized that the industry has always respected Dhurandhar and highlighted the contributions of Bollywood’s biggest stars. In her post, she referenced superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sunny Deol, Hrithik Roshan, and Ajay Devgn, noting that each has delivered over 25 mega-hits in their careers. She concluded by saying that Dhurandhar has been created by the industry for years and will continue in the future.
Ameesha Patel
Director Siddharth Anand also responded, albeit without directly naming Zakir Khan. In his post, he pointed out that residents of Juhu and Bandra, symbolic of Bollywood’s core have contributed to every All-Time Blockbuster over the past five decades. He suggested that underestimating their contribution to Indian cinema would be foolish, reinforcing the industry’s long-standing legacy.
Zakir Khan
The incident has sparked divided opinions online. While some fans supported Zakir Khan’s comedic freedom and saw the joke as harmless satire, others sided with Bollywood figures, calling for more sensitivity when referencing the industry’s work and legacy. Amid the controversy, Bollywood is also celebrating massive box office success with Dhurandhar 2. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film has been on a historic run since its release on March 19.