‘Dhurandhar’ Makers Voluntarily Muted Words Onscreen; Govt Denies Directive

India-West News Desk

MUMBAI- Following a strong four-week run at the box office, the makers of the spy thriller ‘Dhurandhar’ have re-released a revised version with select words muted. The film’s producers, B62 Studios, led by filmmaker Aditya Dhar and producer Lokesh Dhar, said the decision to mute the words “Baloch” and “intelligence” was taken voluntarily to address concerns raised by certain communities and was not mandated by the government.

Amid reports suggesting the changes were made following a government directive — a story India West also covered — officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) said that no such instruction was issued. Officials said the filmmakers independently approached the Central Board of Film Certification to implement the edits after the dialogue was found to be “offensive to certain communities.”

The changes were carried out under Rule 31 of the Cinematograph Act, which allows producers to make post-certification edits provided the overall meaning and context of the scenes remain unchanged.

Released on December 5, ‘Dhurandhar’ stars Ranveer Singh as an undercover operative and draws on fictionalized narratives inspired by real-life incidents such as the Kandahar hijacking and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The film includes references to the political dynamics of the Baloch community in Pakistan.

Key characters affected by the muted references include Rehman Dakait, portrayed by Akshaye Khanna, a Baloch gang leader, and Ajay Sanyal, played by R Madhavan, who serves as the Director of the Intelligence Bureau in the film.

A sequel, ‘Dhurandhar 2’, is scheduled for theatrical release on March 19, 2026.