Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Jan 1 (.) The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday dismissed media reports suggesting it had directed the makers of “Dhurandhar” to remove the word ‘Baloch’ from the film, clarifying that no such orders were issued and that the film’s producer had approached the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking certain changes in the revised version of the movie.
Helmed by Aditya Dhar, the film features Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in pivotal roles, and centres on a gripping narrative involving four of Pakistan’s most notorious militants.
“Dhurandhar” delves into the country’s intricate social and ethnic fabric, using a mix of real events and fictionalised storytelling to probe how extremist networks and state structures collide.
The film portrays Khanna in the role of Rehman Dakait, a character shown to be of Baloch heritage and hailed as Sher-e-Baloch. The film also showcases Baloch supplying weapons to Dakait who he in turn sells to the ISI for terror attacks on India.
The movie has drawn a connection between the supplied weapons and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks carried out in India.
Speaking with the ., a source in the ministry stated that the changes in the revised version of the film were proposed by the applicants/producers themselves and/are being examined by the CBFC under the routine certification process prescribed in the Cinematograph Act and Rules.
“The revisions were permitted in accordance with CBFC guidelines, which require that visuals or words contemptuous of racial, religious or other groups are not presented. The process was carried out as per Rule 31,” the source added.
“It was learnt that there were objections from the Baloch community who were being shown in a negative light in the first edition of the movie. Fearing backlash, the producers approached the body for a revised edition of the film with cuts,” the source revealed.
The revised version of the film was screened nationwide on Thursday.
According to the reports, theatres across the country received an e-mail from the distributors on Wednesday stating that they were replacing the Digital Cinema Package (DCP) of the film.
“The reason for the change is that the makers have muted two words and changed a dialogue in the film, as per the directives received from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India. The cinemas were requested to download the new content and play the revised version of the film from January 1, 2026,” the reports claimed further.
. PWS SRY