The controversy over the dialogue by Ranveer Singh, Akshay Khanna and Sanjay Dutt in the blockbuster film Dhurandhar has reached the Gujarat High Court.
A plea has been filed in court seeking the removal of allegedly offensive dialogues referring to the Baloch community in the Hindi film Dhurandhar, Ahmedabad Mirror reported on Thursday.
The petition was filed by two members of the Baloch community.
What did the court say?
The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday refused to grant immediate relief to the petition.
According to Ahmedabad Mirror, Justice Aniruddha P Mayee refused to issue an injunction saying that the impugned statements appeared to reflect the personal opinion of a fictional character and did not directly violate the petitioner’s legal rights.
Meanwhile, an Indian Express report claimed that the court orally sought to find out how the petitioner was prejudiced because of the dialogue as the film was set in an area outside India.
The court verbally observed: “The dispute (the film is about) a dispute between two neighboring countries and you say that you are being defamed in India… You have to prove how you were prejudiced… You are trying to take something out of context…”
The court scheduled the next hearing for January 9.
What is controversial dialogue?
The controversy centers around a dialogue delivered by actor Sanjay Dutt in the film Dhurandhar. Dutt plays SP Chaudhary Aslam in the film.
The line – “I always tell the big boss that you can trust a crocodile but never a Baloch” – drew sharp reactions. The petitioner alleged that the dialogue portrays the Baloch community in a derogatory and degrading manner.
Members of the Baloch community living in India reportedly said their feelings were deeply hurt, calling the depiction offensive, provocative and baseless.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the film’s dialogue “likened the community to an animal that cannot be trusted” and “did not specifically mention any particular figure of the community or gang, but appears to be a general statement,” reported the Indian Express.
The petitioners also said that the film’s visuals and words referring to the community are “anti-caste and racial”.
According to the Indian Express, counsel for the petitioners told the court that the Baloch community is part of the vast region of Balochistan, which stretches from countries northwest of India to Iran and Pakistan, as well as parts of Gujarat in India.
The petitioners alleged that the scene violated the provisions of the Cinematography Act, 1952 as well as the guidelines issued by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which prohibits content that defames or denigrates any caste or community.
