'Courage of 120 Ahir soldiers not shown': Protestors demand name change of Farhan Akhtar's '120 Bahadur' to '120 Veer Ahir'

Hundreds of Ahir community people marched through Gurgaon on Sunday, demanding that actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar’s upcoming film 120 Bahadur be renamed as 120 Veer Ahir. The march began from Kherki Daula Toll Plaza and ended at the Delhi-Haryana border, leading to a long traffic jam on NH-48.

People carried flags, banners, and posters that said ‘Yaduvanshi’. Songs about Yadav and Ahir pride played from cars and tractors, and young people danced. Police guided protesters to keep to two lanes on the Delhi-Jaipur road. Slogans like “Jai Yadav Jai Madhav” and “Ahir Regiment Haq hai hamara” were heard, as reported by The Indian Express. 

Protesters said the movie tells the story of the 1962 Indo-China war but does not show the courage of the 120 Ahir soldiers from the 13th Kumaon Regiment who fought at Rezang La in Ladakh. They want the film to talk about the sacrifice and bravery of the Ahir soldiers.

 

 

 

 

Kapil Yadav, a student from Aryabhatta College in Delhi, joined after he saw the news online. He was quoted as saying by The Indian Express, “It is a fair demand and I am here to support.”

Arun Yadav from the Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha said the community will not allow the movie to release in Haryana or other states if the name is not changed. “If they do not listen, we will not let the film release in Haryana and places where our people live. We will meet our Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini, to ban the film if the name is not changed. We are also making a petition for the Supreme Court,” he said.

There were protests before at the same place. On September 21, the group sat in protest at the toll plaza. After that, Farhan Akhtar posted on X, “They went as boys but came back as legends because of their courage and sacrifice. 120 Bahadur salutes the veer Ahir soldiers of Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment who died in the Battle of Rezang La.”

In February 2022, about 400 Ahir community people came to Kherki Daula Toll Plaza. They asked the Army to make an Ahir Regiment. Sunday’s protest was mostly because of the film’s name, but people also asked again for an Ahir regiment in the Army.