‘Dhadak 2’ passed the censors, only after 16 big changes

After months of anticipation, ‘Dhadak 2’, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, has finally received clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film has been awarded a U/A certificate — but only after the makers agreed to make 16 major edits to address concerns over political, caste, and religious sensitivities.

Political and religious adjustments

As reported by DNA India, one of the key areas the CBFC flagged was politically sensitive dialogue. A line with an apparent political undertone was modified to avoid any direct or indirect references to public figures. Additionally, religious references underwent careful rewording. For example, a line originally saying “Dharam ka kaam hai” (this is religious work) was changed to “Punya ka kaam hai” (this is a good deed) to maintain a more neutral tone.

A famous couplet by poet Tulsidas, used in a song, was also swapped out for another verse that focuses on quiet resistance rather than provocative imagery.

Caste references and visual alterations

Caste-sensitive words were either muted or replaced to ensure the film didn’t unintentionally hurt community sentiments. A striking example was the change in a dialogue originally saying “3,000 years of backlog will not be cleared in just 70 years”, which was softened to “the backlog of age-old discrimination will not be cleared in just 70 years.”

Visually, a mystical scene featuring a blue-coloured dog was altered by removing the blue tint, and a scene showing a character’s father being insulted was trimmed by 16 seconds to reduce its intensity.

Violent scenes, disclaimers, and final clearance

A violent scene depicting an attack on a woman was reportedly entirely replaced with a black screen to reduce visual trauma. Furthermore, the film’s opening disclaimer was extended from 20 seconds to a lengthy 1 minute and 51 seconds, and it is now read aloud for greater clarity.

Despite all these changes, reports suggest that the makers have been careful to preserve the core emotional and social themes of the story.

‘Dhadak 2’, which follows a new love story intertwined with social issues, is the sequel to the 2018 hit ‘Dhadak’ that launched Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter. With censorship hurdles now cleared, fans eagerly await the official announcement of its release date.