Karan Johar's Dharma Productions' Dhadak 2, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a U/A certificate after undergoing 16 cuts. The film, directed by Shazia Iqbal, is a remake of the critically acclaimed 2018 Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal, which also dealt with caste issues. Dhadak 2 reportedly faced difficulties in obtaining clearance from the CBFC due to its portrayal of caste discrimination and related violence.
The CBFC's modifications included changes to dialogues, the muting of caste-related slurs, and the removal or alteration of certain scenes. One of the key dialogue changes involved the line "3,000 years of backlog will not be cleared in just 70 years," which was altered to "The backlog of age-old discrimination will not be cleared in just 70 years". Caste slurs like "chamar" and "bhangi" were reportedly muted and replaced with the word "junglee". The dialogue "Dharam ka kaam hai" ("this is religious work") was modified to "Punya ka kaam hai" ("this is [work toward] a good deed").
Other changes included the removal of a five-second shot of a character urinating on Nilesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and the trimming of a scene where Nilesh's father is humiliated. A violent scene against a woman was replaced with black frames. Additionally, a couplet by the poet Tulsidas used in a song was replaced with a different verse. The disclaimer at the beginning of the film was also lengthened and is now read aloud.
Another significant edit involves the dialogue, “Savarnon ke sadak … humein jala dete the” (“The savarna's street(s) … they would burn us [alive]”), which was replaced with “Na Sadke hamari thin a zameen ... na paani humara tha; yahaan tak ki zindagi bhi humari nahi thi; marne ki naubat aayi to shehar aa gaya".
The film was originally slated to release in November 2024, but it was later pushed to March 2025. The release was further delayed due to the CBFC's concerns. The motion poster of Dhadak 2 featured the text, "Ek tha raja, ek thi rani. Jaat alag thi khatam kahani," with the background featuring the text, "Dalit Lives Matter".
Despite the numerous changes, reports suggest that the filmmakers have attempted to maintain the essence of the film. Dhadak 2 aims to present a fresh love story while addressing significant social issues. The film has a runtime of 2 hours and 26 minutes and has been given a U/A 16+ certificate. A release date for the film is awaited.