Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar Receives CBFC Nod with Fictional Status

Ranveer Singh's eagerly awaited film Dhurandhar has secured approval from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and is on track for a December 5 release. This development follows a request from the family of the late Major Mohit Sharma-Ashoka Chakra and Sena Medal to the Delhi High Court, seeking a hold on the film due to claims that it implicitly represents his life and military career without their consent.

The film has been rated 'A' by the CBFC while emphasizing that Dhurandhar is entirely a work of fiction. Additionally, details of the official synopsis and an exciting four-minute post-credits scene hinting at a potential sequel were revealed. The film runs for 214 minutes (3 hours 34 minutes) and intertwines events around the 1999 IC-814 hijacking alongside the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. The plot centers on Ajay Sanyal, India’s Intelligence Bureau Chief, portrayed by R. Madhavan, who recruits a young Punjabi to undertake a covert mission aimed at infiltrating a terrorist organization in Pakistan.

Despite earlier notions suggesting that Ranveer Singh's role as Hamza was a depiction of Major Mohit Sharma, the CBFC clarified that Hamza is an espionage agent crafted by the IB Chief, not a soldier. The film also presents several characters inspired by actual figures, such as gang boss Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna) and top cop Chaudhary Aslam, played by Sanjay Dutt, set amidst the gang-related upheaval in Pakistan’s Lyari during the early 2000s.

Major Sharma’s family contended that the movie reflects his military history, inclusive of counter-terror operations in Kashmir, without any dialogue with them. They asserted that a martyr should not be exploited for commercial purposes and that the film infringes upon Major Sharma's posthumous personality rights and the family’s dignity. The family’s petition expressed concern that the film drew heavily from Major Sharma’s life and covert missions without any consultation with them or the Indian Army.

The CBFC noted that the producers enacted several changes to align with legal and certification standards, including removing certain violent scenes, softening intense moments in the latter half, altering a character’s name, muting profanity, and incorporating anti-drug disclaimers. These changes allowed the film to adhere to legal and regulatory demands while retaining its complete runtime.

Director Aditya Dhar took to social media to clarify that Dhurandhar is purely fictional. He mentioned that had the film been based on a real individual, permission would have been sought. The CBFC reasserted that the movie does not bear any direct or indirect connections to Major Sharma's life, eliminating the need for further review by the Army.

Dhurandhar features an impressive cast, including Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi. The post-credits scene sets the stage for a sequel, extending the narrative of the intelligence mission. The film is cleared for public showing, removing legal and certification barriers ahead of its anticipated December 5 debut.