The biggest grosser of 2025 and Hindi cinema’s highest-earning film, Dhurandhar, faces a new controversy as the Information and Broadcasting Ministry the removal of the word “Baloch” from the film.
Indian media outlets, quoting sources, reported that the I&B Ministry has asked the makers to remove the word from the film before screening it on January 1.
Since it appears frequently throughout Dhurandhar, the extent of the changes remains unclear. The source noted that theatres across India received an email from the distributor on Thursday, asking them to replace the Digital Cinema Package and play only the updated version.
The source mentioned that along with removing that word, the makers have implemented a couple of related changes, though he couldn’t reveal the exact details of those alterations.
The Ranveer Singh starrer, which has collected over PKR23 billion in 26 days, now faces a second setback as Jio Studios, the film’s production house, shifts focus to its new release Ikkis.
The trade source believes an understanding between Jio Studios and Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films led to pushing Ikkis’ release by a week from Christmas, December 25, 2025, to New Year’s Day.
Now entering its fifth week since its December 5, 2025 release, Dhurandhar hovers around the PKR30 crore mark daily. However, with screens halved for Ikkis, it may soon slip to single-digit daily earnings starting Monday, January 5.
Jio Studios, which distributes both films, has ensured Ikkis gets 30-40% of screens.
Based on the story of Second Lieutenant Arun Kheterpal who was killed in Battle of Basantar during the Pak-India war of 197.
Before these domestic challenges, Dhurandhar faced rejection from six Gulf countries. According to media reports, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE all blocked the theatrical release after reviewing its content.
The film features Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal, a character the trailer claims controls Pakistani politics. R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna round out the cast.
The production incorporates real figures from Karachi’s recent past. Sanjay Dutt portrays the late SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan, who served as a counter-terrorism police officer in Karachi. Akshaye Khanna plays Abdul Rehman Baloch, known as Rehman Dakait, a gang leader who died in a police encounter.
The filmmakers market Dhurandhar as “inspired by incredible true events.”
However, the connections the film draws between these Karachi figures and cross-border terror lack any documented basis.
The trailer also features imagery resembling the 1999 Indian Airlines hijacking in Kandahar, suggesting the film weaves multiple narratives together under its “true events” claim.