After an exceptional theatrical run and a box office haul of ₹1,000 crore, Ranveer Singh’s blockbuster ‘Dhurandhar’ made its digital debut on Netflix on January 30. But instead of celebration, the much-anticipated OTT release has sparked a wave of criticism from viewers who allege that the platform has censored and trimmed significant portions of the film.

The action thriller, which opened in cinemas in December 2025 and features R Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal, follows a high-stakes mission led by India’s Intelligence Bureau. While fans rushed to rewatch it or catch it for the first time, especially with dubbed Tamil and Telugu versions now available, many expressed disappointment over alterations in the streaming cut.

Muted dialogues and censored language trigger outrage

Viewers took to social media soon after the film went live, pointing out muted dialogues and censored expletives in a film that had originally been certified ‘A’. This led to widespread frustration, with fans questioning the rationale behind censoring content on an adults-only platform.

“You certify the film as A but you have muted/censored words! Like are we bunch of 5y/o or what? Everyone in this app is over 18, there's no meaning in watching a film with lots of cuts and censoring. You're just stealing the natural raw vibe from it,” one viewer wrote.

Another commented, “noooooo #Dhurandhar on Netflix still has the gaalis censored! bhai what is the point of releasing on OTT if you censor the best parts.”

One more post read: “A big letdown from you people @NetflixIndia Why the hell would you Censor it when everyone is expecting for an un censored version!! Censoring an A rated film itself is a joke whereas Animal and Kabir Singh has no cuts.”

 

Concerns over shorter runtime

Alongside the censorship complaints, fans also noted that the film’s duration had been reduced. Several users pointed out that the Netflix version was nearly 10 minutes shorter than the theatrical release.

“Why have you trimmed 10 minutes?” asked one viewer, highlighting concerns that key scenes and narrative elements may have been removed.

The theatrical edition reportedly ran for approximately 3 hours and 34 minutes, whereas the streaming version clocks in at around 3 hours and 25 minutes.

Original reception and upcoming sequel

‘Dhurandhar’, inspired in part by real-world events such as the IC-814 hijacking and the 2001 Parliament attack, has remained strong at the box office, continuing to perform well even into its eighth week. Its action sequences, espionage plot and ensemble cast had contributed significantly to its widespread success.

The digital release comes eight weeks after its theatrical debut on 5 December. Despite the controversy surrounding the streaming edit, the franchise is moving ahead; the makers are now preparing for the release of ‘Dhurandhar Part 2’, slated for 19 March.