Pakistani drama Sher starring Danish Taimoor sparks debate: Did makers copy Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh's Ram Leela blockbuster scenes?

Dubai: The newly released teaser of the Pakistani television drama Sher has ignited a heated conversation across social media platforms—not for its star power or storytelling promise, but for what many are calling a blatant case of creative inspiration.

Netizens have been quick to accuse the makers of borrowing heavily from a famous scene in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2013 Bollywood film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.

Fronted by popular Pakistani actors Danish Taimoor and Sarah Khan, Sher had all the ingredients to make a splash upon announcement.

But it’s the drama’s teaser—featuring a high-stakes, slow-motion standoff between its two leads with guns aimed squarely at each other—that has stirred the hornet’s nest. The intensity of their exchange, charged glances, and stylised backdrop instantly reminded many viewers of a similarly dramatic moment in Ram-Leela, where the central characters face off in a deeply symbolic yet emotionally complex confrontation.

In Bhansali’s film, the standoff wasn’t just about the guns—it was about love, betrayal, family honor, and the violence that underscored it all. The cinematic flair, sweeping camera angles, and theatrical tension made it one of the most memorable moments in recent Bollywood history. That emotional weight, fans argue, seems to have been lifted wholesale and reproduced in Sher, minus the originality or contextual grounding.

The backlash was swift. Within hours of the teaser’s release, social media was abuzz with side-by-side video edits and screenshots comparing the two scenes. “Is this Ram-Leela or Sher?” asked one user on X (formerly Twitter). “This is not an homage. This is plagiarism,” wrote another, echoing the sentiments of dozens more who questioned the creative intent behind the teaser’s execution.

What complicates the situation further is the fact that Sher is being promoted as a bold, original story in the Pakistani television space—a genre that’s traditionally steeped in family sagas, social issues, and moral dilemmas. The decision to mimic an iconic Bollywood sequence, many believe, undermines the integrity of the project before it even hits the small screen.

While the creators of Sher have yet to respond to the allegations, the controversy raises larger questions about originality in South Asian entertainment and the fine line between homage and imitation. At a time when audiences are increasingly vocal about the quality and authenticity of content, such missteps—even at the promotional level—can have lasting repercussions.

Whether Sher can recover from this early controversy or whether the drama will continue to be defined by its alleged copycat moment remains to be seen. But for now, it has ensured that all eyes are on it—for better or worse.