‘No grievance survives’, says Guj HC in Dhurandhar dialogue row

The Gujarat High Court disposed of a petition on January 9, 2026, that challenged an allegedly derogatory line of dialogue in the film ‘Dhurandhar’, after the filmmakers informed the court that the contentious words had already been muted.

The petition had been filed by Yasin Allarakha Baloch and Ayub Balekhan Baloch, members of the Baloch community, who objected to a line spoken by a character portrayed by actor Sanjay Dutt.

They claimed the dialogue negatively stereotyped the Baloch community, portraying its members as untrustworthy, and amounted to hate speech that offended the community’s dignity.

The petitioners had sought directions to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the film’s producers to remove or permanently mute the disputed dialogue across all versions and platforms. They also urged the court to order a fresh review of the film’s certification and to restrain any further exhibition or broadcast of the line in question.

During earlier hearings, the High Court had asked the petitioners to explain how the dialogue caused them prejudice, noting that the film was set outside India and questioning the basis of their grievance.

At the latest hearing, counsel appearing for the filmmakers told the bench that the objectionable words had already been muted in the final cut of the film.

As the petitioners did not dispute this submission, the court held that no grievance survived for adjudication and declared the writ petition infructuous, closing the case without issuing any further directions.