Hindi
I&B ministry orders Dhurandhar makers to mute ‘Baloch’; revised cut in cinemas
NATIONAL: Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar is heading back to cinemas in a revised cut, even as it continues a record-breaking box-office run.
According to trade communication sent to exhibitors on December 31, distributors have asked theatres nationwide to replace the film’s digital cinema package and screen an updated version from January 1, 2026. The changes follow directives from India’s ministry of information and broadcasting, which required the muting of two words and the alteration of a dialogue. One of the excised references, trade sources said, was the word “Baloch”.
The move comes amid fierce public debate around the film’s political subtext, with critics branding it propaganda even as audiences have turned it into a phenomenon. Released on December 5, Dhurandhar has surged past the box-office tallies of Pathaan, Jawan and Chhaava, crossing Rs 1,100 crore globally and Rs 739 crore in India within four weeks.
Led by Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy embedded inside a terror network in Pakistan’s Lyari Town, the film has drawn particular acclaim for Akshaye Khanna’s turn as Rehman Dakait. It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun, among others. Despite its domestic success, the film remains banned across Gulf markets.
Hindi
Viral AI video invites tech leaders to Delhi AI Film Festival
Sam Altman, Bill Gates and Sundar Pichai star in Hindi cinema style spoof at Qutub Minar event
DELHI: A hilarious AI-generated video casting OpenAI chief Sam Altman, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Google CEO Sundar Pichai as unlikely Hindi cinema heroes has taken the internet by storm.
The clip, shared by tech entrepreneur Chandan Perla, cleverly recreates a comic scene from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the cult 2011 film directed by Zoya Akhtar. Using AI face-swapping wizardry, the video superimposes the global tech titans onto the characters originally played by Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar during a mock conference call scene.
The result is a surreal mash-up of Silicon Valley and Spanish road-trip nostalgia, complete with familiar expressions and perfectly timed comic pauses. Even those who cannot tell their algorithms from their auteurs are finding it hard not to smile.
But this is more than just a bit of internet mischief. The video serves as a playful invitation to Delhi’s first-ever AI Film Festival, set to take place on 17 February at the iconic Qutub Minar as part of the India AI Impact Summit.
Billed as a premier showcase for AI-generated cinema, the India AI Film Festival promises global premieres, panel discussions and an awards ceremony beneath the historic monument’s towering silhouette. Over 500 founders, celebrities, investors, policymakers and AI leaders are expected to attend.
The event is being led by Invideo, with participation from Nvidia. Among the featured speakers is Vishal Dhupar, managing director of Nvidia Asia South. The evening will culminate in an awards ceremony celebrating standout AI films, with prizes worth 12,000 dollars up for grabs.
In short, it is lights, camera, computation. If the viral video is anything to go by, artificial intelligence may not just be writing code but rewriting the script for how technology meets culture.
