Rohit Shetty has responded to the criticism of Muslim villains in Sooryavanshi and asked why his Hindu villains did not create an issue earlier. In a new interview, Rohit said that while making the film, there was no specific thought behind making villains out of a certain caste or religion. He told the Quint, "If I ask you one question - Jaykant Shikre (the antagonist in Singham, essayed by Prakash Raj) was a Hindu, then came in this universe (Rohit Shetty’s cop universe which includes Singham, Singham Returns, and Simmba), a Hindu Godman who was the villain. In Simmba, Durva Yashwant Ranade (played by Sonu Sood) was a Maharashtrian. In these three films, negative forces were Hindu. Why wasn’t that a problem?"
He added, "If there is a terrorist who is from Pakistan, what caste will he be? We (creators of Sooryavanshi) are not talking about caste. There is a thought with which a film is made. We never thought that way. Why is it being discussed? If we have a sleeper cell then what caste will a sleeper cell be? Why is a bad and good person being linked to caste, when we as makers never thought about it? If it was wrong, everyone would have talked about it...few people are talking, it is their point of view which they need to change, not us. "Starring Akshay Kumar in the titular role, Sooryavanshi also featured Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn in guest appearances. The film has received positive response upon its release. Sooryavanshi revolves around the chase between cops and terrorists who intend to attack Mumbai with a huge horde of RDX. All the main villains in the film are shown to have crossed the border from Pakistan and are staying in India.'Sooryavanshi' is the third film in Rohit Shetty's cop universe after Ajay Devgn's 'Singham' and Ranveer-starrer 'Simmba'.