E-Paper
Dhurandhar on Netflix | As viewers outrage over ‘censoring an A rated film’, here's truth behind edits, muted dialogue
Dhurandhar on OTT: Soon after Dhurandhar began streaming on Netflix, people took to social media to complain about the cuts, and muting of cuss words.
After a successful run at the box office, Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna’s Dhurandhar made its way onto the OTT world with its digital release on Netflix. However, the OTT premiere release hasn’t gone down well with fans, with fans noticing muted dialogues and trimmed sequences.
Dhurandhar ‘cuts’ spark backlash
Soon after the film began streaming on Netflix, several people took to social media users to complain. Several people accused the streaming platform of muting dialogues, censoring abusive language and chopping off nearly 10 minutes from the film. However, the OTT release is the same as the edited 208 minute version that was released in theatres.
Regardless of the truth, people are furious over the edits. Viewers of Aditya Dhar’s directorial took to social media platforms to insist that they had expected an uncensored version after its theatrical release. Many even questioned the logic of censoring an A-rated film.
“@NetflixIndia, why have you censored the cuss words in #Dhurandhar? What’s the goddamn point if we can’t enjoy any movie properly? Do you censor cuss words in any English movie? No, right? Then why this discrimination? DISAPPOINTED,” one angry viewer wrote.
One posted, “The makers have really betrayed us. If you’re just going to mute everything anyway, then why the hell do you even give an A certificate? 🇮🇳 censorship is a complete joke, nothing else.”
But did Netflix even make any cuts?
However, some explained that the edits were made by the makers themselves three weeks after the film's release. The edited version had been playing in theatres since early January. One tweeted, “#Dhurandhar Runtime on Netflix is 3H 25M because it's derived from the Theatrical Cut of 208 mins i.e. 3H 28M. The 214 min version (3H 34M) was likely removed from the theatres & replaced with this 208 mins version. Removing those extra 3 mins of (no smoking emoji) warnings & we get 3H 25M.”
A person replied, “That explains why when i went to dhurandhar in theatres on the release day the movie felt longer than what i noticed on my second watch a month later.”
In January, Dhurandhar's makers cut a few lines of dialogue and muted words like ‘intelligence’ and ‘Baloch’ voluntarily. Officials from the I&B Ministry told PTI that filmmakers approached the CBFC with the changes, which were subsequently made under Rule 31 of the Cinematograph Act. The rule allows producers to edit an already certified movie, provided it does not change the larger meaning of the scene. This recut theatrical version is the one released on Netflix.
About Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar has emerged as a blockbuster after its golden box office. The action spy thriller, which hit theatres on December 5 last year, has been directed by Aditya Dhar. It grossed over ₹1300 crore worldwide. The spy thriller is set in Pakistan, in which Ranveer plays an Indian spy infiltrating the terror networks based in Lyari. It also stars Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and R Madhavan in pivotal roles. Dhurandhar’s sequel is scheduled to release in theatres on March 19, and will clash with Yash’s Toxic.
