‘Objectionable words muted’: ‘Dhurandhar’ filmmakers tell Gujarat HC in response to petition by Baloch community

The petitioners also submitted that the film’s visuals and words referring to the community are “anti-caste and racial”.

The Gujarat High Court Friday disposed of a petition that sought directions to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the filmmakers to remove a contentious dialogue from the Dhurandhar movie after the filmmakers made a submission in court that the objectionable words had already been muted.

The petition was filed by two members of the Baloch community – Yasin Allarakha Baloch and Ayub Balekhan Baloch – who raised objections to a dialogue delivered in the film by a policeman character played by actor Sanjay Dutt. The petitioners contended that the dialogue, which makes reference to their community, had been spoken in a “derogatory and contemptuous manner” and hurt the sentiments while “showing the community in a poor light and also defaming the community.”

The oral order of the Gujarat HC noted the submission of Advocate Salil Thakore, who appeared for filmmaker Aditya Dhar as well as Jio Studios and B62 Studios Pvt Ltd, that the filmmakers had already muted two objectionable words under the rules of the Cinematograph Act, which allows the producers to edit a movie already certified by an authority.

The oral order of the court states, “(The) advocate for the respondents (Aditya Dhar as well as Jio Studios and B62 Studios Pvt Ltd) makes a statement that the word which is objected to by the petitioners herein has already been muted. Therefore, no grievance survives in the present writ petition now.”

The court order noted that the counsel appearing for the petitioners “does not dispute” the submission of the respondents. “In view thereof, the present writ petition is rendered infructuous. Disposed of accordingly,” the oral order of the HC states.

In an earlier hearing on December 24, the court had orally sought to know how the petitioners had been prejudiced due to the dialogue, as the film was set in a region outside India and asked the petitioners to “substantiate” the grievance contended in the petition.