Dhurandhar makers mute words like ‘Baloch’ in Ranveer Singh film, officials deny it was on I&B Ministry directive

Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar was re-released with a new version of the film that had some words like ‘Baloch’ and ‘intelligence’ muted out.

After a stellar 4-week run at the box office and over ₹1140 crore haul, Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar went through some key changes and was re-released in theatres. Amid reports that the changes were made as per a directive by the I&B Ministry, officials denied this, and the filmmakers claimed they made the changes after they were found to be ‘offensive’.

Ranveer Singh plays the lead actor in Aditya Dhar's spy film Dhurandhar.

Dhurandhar undergoes changes weeks after release

Dhurandhar was re-released in theatres with a new version after a few words were muted out. The production house, B62 Studios, led by Aditya and Lokesh Dhar, decided to make the changes independently, without a directive from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), officials told PTI.

The filmmakers also said that they approached the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with changes that included muting words like ‘Baloch’ and ‘intelligence’ after they were ‘found to be offensive to certain communities’. The changes were carried out under Rule 31 of the Cinematograph Act, which allows producers to edit certified films, provided they do not change the larger meaning of the scene.

Who are the ‘Baloch’ and ‘intelligence’ in Dhurandhar?

Dhurandhar is the first instalment of a two-part series that has a story woven around real-life attacks on India, like the Kandahar plane hijack and 26/11 terror attacks. The film features Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait, a leader of a Baloch gang in Pakistan. R Madhavan plays Ajay Sanyal, Director of the Intelligence Bureau. The film also features specific scenes that delve into the political dynamics of the Baloch community in Pakistan.

Given the key role these elements play in the story, which sees Ranveer Singh’s Hamza Ali Mazari, alias Jaskirat Singh Rangi, infiltrate Rehman’s gang at Ajay’s directive, it is interesting that the makers have now made these changes to Dhurandhar. Dhurandhar has collected ₹780 crore in India and ₹1140 crore worldwide after its December 5th release, making it one of the highest-grossing films.

Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, and Sara Arjun also star in it. Dhurandhar 2 will be released in theatres on March 19.