Aditya Dhar's blockbuster period spy thriller Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, has encountered two significant hurdles as the new year begins. The film's historic box office run is being impacted by an intervention from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) and a strategic screen-sharing decision by its own distributor, Jio Studios.
I&B Ministry Orders Removal of 'Baloch' References
According to trade sources, the I&B Ministry has instructed the makers of Dhurandhar to mute or remove the word 'Baloch' from the film. This directive necessitated the creation of a new, updated print of the movie, which theatres across India were asked to install and screen starting January 1, 2026.
The term 'Baloch' is used multiple times in the narrative. For instance, Akshaye Khanna's character, Rahman Dakait, is portrayed as a messiah for the Baloch community and is referred to as Rehman Baloch. Ranveer Singh's character, Hamza, also identifies as belonging to the same community. The plot involves the Baloch supplying weapons, which are then sold to the ISI for orchestrating terror attacks on India.
While it is unclear if every single mention has been excised, sources confirm the changes are related to this context. Theatres received an email from the distributor to replace the existing Digital Cinema Package (DCP) with the revised version.
Strategic Screen Share: 50% of Dhurandhar's Single Screens Go to Ikkis
In a parallel development, Jio Studios has decided to allocate approximately 50% of Dhurandhar's single-screen shows to its new release, Ikkis. This period war drama, directed by Sriram Raghavan, marks the theatrical debut of Agastya Nanda and features the late legend Dharmendra in his final film role.
This move is seen as a strategic understanding within the Jio Studios ecosystem. The studio, which distributes both films, has a longstanding partnership with Maddock Films, the producer of Ikkis. Trade insiders suggest this partnership led to Ikkis's release being pushed from Christmas Day (December 25, 2025) to New Year's Day (January 1, 2026).
The delay allowed Dhurandhar to continue its record-breaking run through December unimpeded. A trade source highlighted the wisdom of this decision, pointing to the underwhelming performance of another Christmas release, 'Tu Meri Main Tera', which earned only Rs 28.82 crore in its opening week against Dhurandhar's dominance.
Box Office Implications and Future Projections
These developments come as Dhurandhar begins to slow down after a phenomenal run. The film, released on December 5, 2025, has already made history by becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film domestically, with earnings of Rs 722.75 crore. It is the first Indian film to earn in double digits (over Rs 10 crore) daily consecutively until its fourth week.
However, as it enters its fifth week, daily collections are hovering around the Rs 10 crore mark. With the halving of its single-screen footprint, industry analysts predict that the film's daily earnings could slip into single digits starting Monday, January 5, 2026.
Meanwhile, Jio Studios is positioning Ikkis for a strong start, ensuring it gets a show share of 30-40% across single screens. The studio is strategically booking more evening shows than morning ones on New Year's Day, banking on the holiday audience and expecting positive word-of-mouth for the film based on the story of martyred Second Lieutenant Arun Kheterpal.
