Though the bravado he'd displayed while filming it was notable, a self-flagellation scene in Satyameva Jayate featuring leading man John Abraham stroked controversy with members of the Shia community. Ten days after the Telangana State Bharatiya Janata Party had protested against the makers of the Nikkhil Advani-produced film for wrongly depicting Matam (self-flagellation) and denigrating its rituals, a revised cut has now received their approval.

Advani tells mid-day that his team had taken into account the reservations expressed by the community last month, and showcased the revisited sequence to select members recently. "We pride ourselves on being responsible filmmakers. So, we decided to connect with representatives of the community after we received complaints about the concerned scene. A few leaders came together to watch the amended sequence, and have approved of it."