Hindi
Dhurandhar storms box office; sets new records
MUMBAI: Aditya Dhar’s espionage thriller has done what spies do best: infiltrated enemy territory and extracted maximum value. Dhurandhar, the Ranveer Singh-led action spectacular, has raked in Rs 552.70 crore worldwide in just ten days, making it the fastest Hindi film to breach the half-billion mark since records began keeping track.
The film notched up Rs 58.20 crore net on its second Sunday (15 December)—the biggest Sunday ever for a Hindi film—taking its total India net haul to Rs 364.60 crore. India gross stands at Rs 430.20 crore, with overseas markets chipping in Rs 122.50 crore. That’s a lot of popcorn.
Released on 5 December, the film opened with Rs 218 crore net in its first week, then refused to slow down. Second Friday brought Rs 34.70 crore, second Saturday Rs 53.70 crore, and then came Sunday’s monster haul. The makers boast that every day has been bigger than the previous from the first Monday onwards—a claim that suggests audiences are either spreading the word or buying multiple tickets.
Dhurandhar has now registered the biggest second Friday, second Saturday and second Sunday in Hindi cinema history. Packed houses, midnight screenings and round-the-clock shows continue unabated. “The Dhurandhar wave has now become a worldwide phenomenon,” crowed the makers, “driven by unprecedented word of mouth.”
The high-octane thriller, directed and written by Dhar, follows covert intelligence operations against a backdrop of real events: the Kandahar plane hijack, the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Singh leads a cast that includes Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan and others. Set largely in Lyari, a rough neighbourhood in Karachi known for gang wars and turf battles, the film has sparked polarising reactions from critics and audiences alike.
Produced by Aditya and Lokesh Dhar’s B62 Studios with Jio Studios, the film proves that in Indian cinema, nothing succeeds like excess. Whether Dhurandhar can sustain this blistering pace or will eventually run out of ammunition remains to be seen. For now, it’s conquered the box office with military precision.
Hindi
SC slams Neeraj Pandey over Ghooskhor Pandat title, orders rebrand
SC says film cannot release under current title, seeks new name by February 19.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has delivered a stern reality check to acclaimed filmmaker Neeraj Pandey, directing a mandatory name change for his upcoming Netflix project, Ghooskhor Pandat. On Thursday, a bench comprising justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan made it clear that creative freedom does not grant a licence to denigrate specific communities.
The title, which translates to Bribe-taking Brahmin, sparked a firestorm of protest from groups arguing the name was a slur against the Brahmin caste. The court’s intervention has now pushed the production into a legal corner, requiring a complete rebranding before the film can be released.
The highlights of the hearing were the sharp observations made by the bench regarding modern filmmaking and social responsibility. Justice Nagarathna pointedly questioned the necessity of using provocative titles that could incite social friction.
“Being woke is one thing. But creating this kind of unrest when there is already unrest in the country… If you use your freedom to denigrate any section of society, we cannot permit it,” the justice remarked during the proceedings.
The court emphasized that the Constitutional principle of fraternity is just as important as the right to free speech. The bench suggested that filmmakers must be mindful of reasonable restrictions, especially when a title appears to target the dignity of a particular group.
Interestingly, this was not the filmmakers’ first encounter with the legal system over this project. Earlier in February, Netflix and Neeraj Pandey had already informed the Delhi High Court that they had made a conscious decision to change the title following the initial public outcry.
Despite this earlier admission, the Supreme Court felt it necessary to formalise the matter. The judges were firm that the film would not see a digital release under its original branding, expressing concern that equating a caste identity with corruption was a step too far for a diverse society.
“Why should any section of society be denigrated? We are not here to allow people to be insulted in the name of entertainment,” the bench noted, while issuing formal notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Representing the makers, counsel for Pandey and Netflix clarified that the word “Pandat” was intended as a colloquial nickname for the lead character, a gritty police officer played by Manoj Bajpayee, rather than a commentary on the priesthood or the Brahmin community.
Regardless of the intent, the court has demanded a formal commitment. Neeraj Pandey has been directed to file an affidavit by 19 February 2026, proposing a new title and confirming that the film’s content does not defame any community.
With the original trailers and social media teasers already scrubbed from the internet, the film is currently in a state of creative redesign. The industry is watching closely, as this ruling sets a significant precedent for how streaming platforms handle sensitive cultural labels in India.
