Dhadak 2 Cleared by CBFC — But With 16 Cuts and Major Content Changes
The long-awaited film Dhadak 2 starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri is now officially cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) — but such clearance came with a lot of conditions. The Hindi adaptation of the 2018 Tamil film, Pariyerum Perumal, had 16 cuts made to it, all pertaining to the politically resonant and caste-based references that have been either muted, reworded, or completely omitted.
Dhadak 2 was previously set to arrive in November 2024 but experienced several delays, meaning it is long overdue. Dhadak 2 now is rated U/A in category 16+, so the film should be on its way to a theatre near you — although the narrative has taken a significant shift.
Political & Caste References Reworded, Images Changed
Even though the CBFC chose to mute caste-based slurs such as “chamar” or “bhangi” and switched to a more generic term that meant more like “junglee”, this path has resulted in a significant difference compared to the Tamil version, which was cleared with only four cuts.
Various instances of dialogue that referred to the ideologies of the Bahujan movement, such as ‘Kanshi Ram’s pen analogy’, were rewritten or reworded. In the original version, there was the phrase, “3,000 years of accumulated backlog won’t clear just in 70 years,” which was toned down to simply state, “the backlog of age-old discrimination won’t clear just in 70 years.”
There were also edits to visual sequences, including one where a man urinates on the character Nilesh (the same humiliation of caste brutality from the original was completely removed).
In another glaring alteration, a mystical scene showing a blue spirit dog was cut completely.
We have also heard that a line was added to a heavily referenced Om Prakash Valmiki poem, Thakur Ka Kuan, that was changed or deleted, but the CBFC claimed they did not know which verse ended up in the release of the film.
Some of the biggest tone-downs were some metaphor replacements. The line, “Savarnon ke sadak … humein jala dete the,” was changed to a more general, poetically renderable stun of oppression:
“Na sadke hamari thin, na zameen, na paani … Yaha tak ki zindagi bhi hamari nahi thi.”
The edits to other scenes of caste violence and sitting oppression and rubbish — including Nilesh’s father’s humiliation and a violent scene against a woman — were either shortened down or changed for a black screen.
Expanded Disclaimer and Religious Edits Did Also Happen
An earlier 20-second disclaimer is now a farcical 1 minute 51 second voiceover — claimed the CBFC would not disclose what would actually be included. Additionally, a Tulsidas doha was replaced with a Bihari-style couplet — this is understood as a shift in devotional vs secular thematic messaging.
Despite these edits, Dhadak 2 is clocking a very great distance from the original’s steadfast tone, presumably in hope of addressing emotional sensitivities of a mainstream Hindi-speaking audience — and concerned officials.
BoxOfficeWorldwide Verdict
Dhadak 2‘s long road to the cinema is finally clearing – but not before it shed parts of its unrefined edge. While the edits may make the film easier to digest for a wider audience, they also dilute the anti-caste essence that made Pariyerum Perumal a cornerstone of Tamil film.
Whether this film retains the dramatic heft or feels more sanitised will be messaged — but for now, it is finally emerging from the censor maze.
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